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Setting Up Virtual
Desktops in Horizon 7
Modified on 4 JAN 2018
VMware Horizon 7 7.4
Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7
VMware, Inc. 2
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Contents
1Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 7
2Introduction to Virtual Desktops 8
Virtual Desktop Pools 8
Advantages of Desktop Pools 8
Desktop Pools for Specific Types of Workers 9
3Creating and Preparing a Virtual Machine for Cloning 14
Creating a Virtual Machine for Cloning 14
Install Horizon Agent on a Virtual Machine 23
Install Horizon Agent Silently 27
Configure a Virtual Machine with Multiple NICs for Horizon Agent 35
Optimize Guest Operating System Performance 36
Disable the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program 37
Optimizing Windows for Instant-Clone and View Composer Linked-Clone Virtual Machines 38
Preparing a Parent Virtual Machine 45
Creating Virtual Machine Templates 51
Creating Customization Specifications 52
4Creating Instant-Clone Desktop Pools 53
Instant-Clone Desktop Pools 53
Image Publishing and Rebalancing an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool 55
Add an Instant-Clone Domain Administrator 56
Worksheet for Creating an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool 56
Create an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool 61
ClonePrep Guest Customization 62
Change the Image of an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool 64
Monitor a Push-Image Operation 64
Reschedule or Cancel a Push-Image Operation 65
Perform Maintenance on Instant-Clone Hosts 65
Instant-Clone Maintenance Utilities 66
5Creating Automated Desktop Pools That Contain Full Virtual Machines 69
Automated Pools That Contain Full Virtual Machines 69
Worksheet for Creating an Automated Pool That Contains Full Virtual Machines 69
Create an Automated Pool That Contains Full Virtual Machines 73
Clone an Automated Desktop Pool 75
Rebuild a Virtual Machine in a Full-Clone Desktop Pool 76
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Desktop Settings for Automated Pools That Contain Full Virtual Machines 76
Configure Full Clones with vSphere Virtual Machine Encryption 77
6Creating Linked-Clone Desktop Pools 79
Linked-Clone Desktop Pools 79
Worksheet for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool 79
Create a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool 89
Clone an Automated Desktop Pool 91
Desktop Pool Settings for Linked-Clone Desktop Pools 92
View Composer Support for Linked-Clone SIDs and Third-Party Applications 93
Keeping Linked-Clone Machines Provisioned for Use in Remote Desktop Sessions During View
Composer Operations 98
Use Existing Active Directory Computer Accounts for Linked Clones 99
7Creating Manual Desktop Pools 102
Manual Desktop Pools 102
Worksheet for Creating a Manual Desktop Pool 102
Create a Manual Desktop Pool 104
Create a Manual Pool That Contains One Machine 105
Desktop Pool Settings for Manual Pools 106
8Configuring Desktop Pools 109
User Assignment in Desktop Pools 109
Naming Machines Manually or Providing a Naming Pattern 110
Manually Customizing Machines 117
Desktop Pool Settings for All Desktop Pool Types 118
Adobe Flash Quality and Throttling 123
Setting Power Policies for Desktop Pools 124
Configuring 3D Rendering for Desktops 130
Prevent Access to Horizon 7 Desktops Through RDP 143
Deploying Large Desktop Pools 144
9Managing Desktop Pools and Virtual Desktops 147
Managing Desktop Pools 147
Managing Virtual Machine-Based Desktops 153
Export Horizon 7 Information to External Files 156
10 Managing View Composer Linked-Clone Desktop Virtual Machines 157
Reduce Linked-Clone Size with Machine Refresh 157
Update Linked-Clone Desktops 159
Rebalance Linked-Clone Virtual Machines 164
Manage View Composer Persistent Disks 167
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11 Preparing Unmanaged Machines 173
Prepare an Unmanaged Machine for Remote Desktop Deployment 173
Install Horizon Agent on an Unmanaged Machine 174
Managing Unmanaged Machines 177
12 Entitling Users and Groups 180
Add Entitlements to a Desktop or Application Pool 180
Remove Entitlements from a Desktop or Application Pool 181
Review Desktop or Application Pool Entitlements 181
Configuring Start Menu Shortcuts for Desktop and Application Pools 182
Restricting Desktop or Application Access 183
Restricting Remote Desktop Access Outside the Network 188
13 Reducing and Managing Storage Requirements 189
Managing Storage with vSphere 189
Reducing Storage Requirements with Instant Clones 196
Reducing Storage Requirements with View Composer 198
Storing View Composer Linked Clones on Local Datastores 200
Storing Replicas and Clones on Separate Datastores for Instant Clones and View Composer
Linked Clones 201
Storage Sizing for Instant-Clone and View Composer Linked-Clone Desktop Pools 202
Storage Overcommit for View Composer Linked-Clone Virtual Machines 207
View Composer Linked-Clone Data Disks 209
Configure View Storage Accelerator for View Composer Linked Clones 211
Reclaim Disk Space on View Composer Linked Clones 213
Using VAAI Storage for View Composer Linked Clones 215
Set Storage Accelerator and Space Reclamation Blackout Times for View Composer Linked
Clones 216
14 Configuring User Profiles with Horizon Persona Management 218
Providing User Personas in Horizon 7 218
Using Horizon Persona Management with Standalone Systems 219
Migrating User Profiles with Horizon Persona Management 220
Horizon Persona Management and Windows Roaming Profiles 224
Configuring a Horizon Persona Management Deployment 224
Best Practices for Configuring a Horizon Persona Management Deployment 234
Horizon Persona Management Group Policy Settings 238
15 Monitoring Virtual Desktops and Desktop Pools 249
Monitor Virtual-Machine Desktop Status 249
Status of vCenter Server Virtual Machines 250
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Recover Instant-Clone Desktops 252
Status of Unmanaged Machines 252
16 Troubleshooting Machines and Desktop Pools 254
Display Problem Machines 254
Troubleshooting Instant Clones in the Internal VM Debug Mode 255
Restart Desktops and Reset Virtual Machines 256
Send Messages to Desktop Users 257
Problems Provisoning or Recreating a Desktop Pool 257
Troubleshooting Network Connection Problems 269
Troubleshooting USB Redirection Problems 274
Manage Machines and Policies for Unentitled Users 276
Resolving Database Inconsistencies with the ViewDbChk Command 276
Further Troubleshooting Information 279
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Setting Up Virtual Desktops in
Horizon 7 1
Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 describes how to create and provision pools of virtual machines.
It includes information about preparing machines, provisioning desktop pools, and configuring user
profiles with View Persona Management.
Intended Audience
This information is intended for anyone who wants to create and provision desktop and application pools.
The information is written for experienced Windows system administrators who are familiar with virtual
machine technology and datacenter operations.
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Introduction to Virtual Desktops 2
With Horizon 7, you can create desktop pools that include thousands of virtual desktops. You can deploy
desktops that run on virtual machines (VMs) and physical machines. Create one VM as a master image,
and Horizon 7 can generate a pool of virtual desktops from that image. The master image is also known
as a base image or a golden image.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nVirtual Desktop Pools
nAdvantages of Desktop Pools
nDesktop Pools for Specific Types of Workers
Virtual Desktop Pools
You can create desktop pools to give users remote access to virtual machine-based desktops. You can
also choose VMware PC-over-IP (PCoIP), or VMware Blast to provide remote access to users.
There are two main types of virtual desktop pools: automated and manual. Automated desktop pools use
a vCenter Server virtual machine template or snapshot to create a pool of identical virtual machines.
Manual desktop pools are a collection of existing vCenter Server virtual machines, physical computers, or
third-party virtual machines. In automated or manual pools, each machine is available for one user to
access remotely at a time.
Advantages of Desktop Pools
Horizon 7 offers the ability to create and provision pools of desktops as its basis of centralized
management.
You create a remote desktop pool from one of the following sources:
nA physical system such as a physical desktop PC.
nA virtual machine that is hosted on an ESXi host and managed by vCenter Server
nA virtual machine that runs on a virtualization platform other than vCenter Server that supports
Horizon Agent.
nA session-based desktop on an RDS host. For more information about creating desktop pools from
an RDS host, see the Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 document.
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If you use a vSphere virtual machine as a desktop source, you can automate the process of making as
many identical virtual desktops as you need. You can set a minimum and maximum number of virtual
desktops to be generated for the pool. Setting these parameters ensures that you always have enough
remote desktops available for immediate use but not so many that you overuse available resources.
Using pools to manage desktops allows you to apply settings or deploy applications to all remote
desktops in a pool. The following examples show some of the settings available:
nSpecify which remote display protocol to use as the default for the remote desktop and whether to let
end users override the default.
nFor View Composer linked-clone virtual machines or full clone virtual machines, specify whether to
power off the virtual machine when it is not in use and whether to delete it altogether. Instant clone
virtual machines are always powered on.
nFor View Composer linked-clone virtual machines, you can specify whether to use a Microsoft
Sysprep customization specification or QuickPrep from VMware. Sysprep generates a unique SID
and GUID for each virtual machine in the pool. Instant clones require a different customization
specification, called ClonePrep, from VMware.
You can also specify how users are assigned desktops in a pool.
Dedicated-assignment
pools
Each user is assigned a particular remote desktop and returns to the same
desktop at each login. Dedicated assignment pools require a one-to-one
desktop-to-user relationship. For example, a pool of 100 desktops are
needed for a group of 100 users.
Floating-assignment
pools
Using floating-assignment pools also allows you to create a pool of
desktops that can be used by shifts of users. For example, a pool of 100
desktops could be used by 300 users if they worked in shifts of 100 users
at a time. The remote desktop is optionally deleted and re-created after
each use, offering a highly controlled environment.
Desktop Pools for Specific Types of Workers
Horizon 7 provides many features to help you conserve storage and reduce the amount of processing
power required for various use cases. Many of these features are available as pool settings.
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The most fundamental question to consider is whether a certain type of user needs a stateful desktop
image or a stateless desktop image. Users who need a stateful desktop image have data in the operating
system image itself that must be preserved, maintained, and backed up. For example, these users install
some of their own applications or have data that cannot be saved outside of the virtual machine itself,
such as on a file server or in an application database.
Stateless desktop
images
Also known as nonpersistent desktops, stateless architectures have many
advantages, such as being easier to support and having lower storage
costs. Other benefits include a limited need to back up the virtual machines
and easier, less expensive disaster recovery and business continuity
options.
Stateful desktop
images
Also known as persistent desktops, these images might require traditional
image management techniques. Stateful images can have low storage
costs in conjunction with certain storage system technologies. Backup and
recovery technologies such as VMware Consolidated Backup and VMware
Site Recovery Manager are important when considering strategies for
backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity.
There are two ways to create stateless desktop images in Horizon 7:
nYou can create floating assignment pools or dedicated assignment pools of instant clone virtual
machines. Folder redirection and roaming profiles can optionally be used to store user data.
nYou can use View Composer to create floating or dedicated assignment pools of linked clone virtual
machines. Folder redirection and roaming profiles can optionally be used to store user data or
configure persistent disks to persist user data.
There are several ways to create stateful desktop images in Horizon 7:
nYou can create full clones or full virtual machines. Some storage vendors have cost-effective storage
solutions for full clones. These vendors often have their own best practices and provisioning utilities.
Using one of these vendors might require that you create a manual dedicated-assignment pool.
nYou can create pools of instant-clone or linked-clone virtual machines and use App Volumes user
writable volumes to attach user data and user-installed apps.
Whether you use stateless or stateful desktops depends on the specific type of worker.
Pools for Task Workers
You can standardize on stateless desktop images for task workers so that the image is always in a well-
known, easily supportable configuration and so that workers can log in to any available desktop.
Because task workers perform repetitive tasks within a small set of applications, you can create stateless
desktop images, which help conserve storage space and processing requirements.
Use the following pool settings for instant-clone desktop pools:
nFor instant clone pools, to optimize resource utilization, use on demand provisioning to grow or shrink
the pool based on usage. Be sure to specify enough spare desktops to satisfy the login rate.
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nFor instant clone desktop pools, Horizon 7 automatically deletes the instant clone whenever a user
logs out. A new instant clone is created and ready for the next user to log in, thus effectively
refreshing the desktop on every log out.
Use the following pool settings for View Composer linked-clone desktop pools:
nFor View Composer desktop pools, determine what action, if any, to take when users log off. Disks
grow over time. You can conserve disk space by refreshing the desktop to its original state when
users log off. You can also set a schedule for periodically refreshing desktops. For example, you can
schedule desktops to refresh daily, weekly, or monthly.
nIf applicable, and if you use View Composer linked-clone pools, consider storing desktops on local
ESXi data stores. This strategy can offer advantages such as inexpensive hardware, fast virtual-
machine provisioning, high-performance power operations, and simple management. For a list of the
limitations, see Storing View Composer Linked Clones on Local Datastores.
Note For information about other types of storage options, see Chapter 13 Reducing and Managing
Storage Requirements.
nUse the Persona Management feature so that users always have their preferred desktop appearance
and application settings, as with Windows user profiles. If you do not have the desktops set to be
refreshed or deleted at logoff, you can configure the persona to be removed at logoff.
Important Persona Management facilitates implementing a floating-assignment pool for those users
who want to retain settings between sessions. Previously, one of the limitations of floating-assignment
desktops was that when end users logged off, they lost all their configuration settings and any data
stored in the remote desktop.
Each time end users logged on, their desktop background was set to the default wallpaper, and they
would have to configure each application's preferences again. With Persona Management, an end
user of a floating-assignment desktop cannot tell the difference between their session and a session
on a dedicated-assignment desktop.
Use the following general pool settings for all desktop pools:
nCreate an automated pool so that desktops can be created when the pool is created or can be
generated on demand based on pool usage.
nUse floating assignment so that users log in to any available desktop. This setting reduces the
number of desktops required if everyone does not need to be logged in at the same time.
nCreate instant-clone or View Composer linked-clone desktops so that desktops share the same base
image and use less storage space in the datacenter than full virtual machines.
Pools for Knowledge Workers and Power Users
Knowledge workers must be able to create complex documents and have them persist on the desktop.
Power users must be able to install their own applications and have them persist. Depending on the
nature and amount of personal data that must be retained, the desktop can be stateful or stateless.
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For knowledge workers who do not need user-installed applications except for temporary use, you can
create stateless desktop images and save all their personal data outside of the virtual machine, on a file
server or in an application database. For other knowledge workers and for power users, you can create
stateful desktop images.
Use the following pool settings for instant-clone desktop pools:
nIf you use instant clone desktops, implement file share, roaming profile, or another profile
management solution.
Use the following pool settings for View Composer linked-clone desktop pools:
nIf you use View Composer with vSphere 5.1 or later virtual desktops, enable the space reclamation
feature for vCenter Server and for the desktop pool. With the space reclamation feature, stale or
deleted data within a guest operating system is automatically reclaimed with a wipe and shrink
process.
nIf you use View Composer linked-clone desktops, implement Persona Management, roaming profiles,
or another profile management solution. You can also configure persistent disks so that you can
refresh and recompose the linked-clone OS disks while keeping a copy of the user profile on the
persistent disks.
nUse the Persona Management feature so that users always have their preferred desktop appearance
and application settings, as with Windows user profiles.
Use the following general pool settings for all desktop pools:
nSome power users and knowledge workers, such as accountants, sales managers, marketing
research analysts, might need to log into the same desktop every time. Create dedicated assignment
pools for them.
nUse vStorage thin provisioning so that at first, each desktop uses only as much storage space as the
disk needs for its initial operation.
nFor power users and knowledge workers who must install their own applications, which adds data to
the operating system disk, there are two options. One option is to create full virtual machine desktops.
The other option is to create a pool of linked clones or instant clones, and use App Volumes to persist
user-installed applications and user data across logins.
nIf knowledge workers do not require user-installed applications except for temporary use, you can
create View Composer linked-clone desktops or instant clone desktops. The desktop images share
the same base image and use less storage space than full virtual machines.
Pools for Kiosk Users
Kiosk users might include customers at airline check-in stations, students in classrooms or libraries,
medical personnel at medical data entry workstations, or customers at self-service points. Accounts
associated with client devices rather than users are entitled to use these desktop pools because users do
not need to log in to use the client device or the remote desktop. Users can still be required to provide
authentication credentials for some applications.
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Virtual machine desktops that are set to run in kiosk mode use stateless desktop images because user
data does not need to be preserved in the operating system disk. Kiosk mode desktops are used with thin
client devices or locked-down PCs. You must ensure that the desktop application implements
authentication mechanisms for secure transactions, that the physical network is secure against tampering
and snooping, and that all devices connected to the network are trusted.
As a best practice, use dedicated Connection Server instances to handle clients in kiosk mode, and
create dedicated organizational units and groups in Active Directory for the accounts of these clients. This
practice not only partitions these systems against unwarranted intrusion, but also makes it easier to
configure and administer the clients.
To set up kiosk mode, you must use the vdmadmin command-line interface and perform several
procedures documented in the topics about kiosk mode in the View Administration document.
As part of this setup, you can use the following instant-clone desktop pool settings.
nIf you are using instant clone desktop pools, Horizon 7automatically deletes the instant clone
whenever a user logs out. A new instant clone is created and ready for the next user to log in, thus
effectively refreshing the desktop on every log out.
As part of this setup, you can use the following View Composer linked-clone desktop pool settings.
nIf you are using View Composer linked-clone desktops, institute a refresh policy so that the desktop is
refreshed frequently, such as at every user logoff.
nIf applicable, consider storing desktops on local ESXi datastores. This strategy can offer advantages
such as inexpensive hardware, fast virtual-machine provisioning, high-performance power operations,
and simple management. For a list of the limitations, see Storing View Composer Linked Clones on
Local Datastores. Instant clone pools are not supported on local data stores.
Note For information about other types of storage options, see Chapter 13 Reducing and Managing
Storage Requirements.
As part of this setup, you can use the following general settings for all desktop pools.
nCreate an automated pool so that desktops can be created when the pool is created or can be
generated on demand based on pool usage.
nUse floating assignment so that users can access any available desktop in the pool.
nCreate instant-clone or View Composer linked-clone desktops so that desktops share the same base
image and use less storage space in the datacenter than full virtual machines.
nUse an Active Directory GPO (group policy object) to configure location-based printing, so that the
desktop uses the nearest printer. For a complete list and description of the settings available through
Group Policy administrative (ADMX) templates, see Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon
7.
nUse a GPO or Smart Policies to control whether local USB devices are connected to the desktop
when the desktop is launched or when USB devices are plugged in to the client computer.
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Creating and Preparing a Virtual
Machine for Cloning 3
You can create a pool of desktop machines by cloning a vCenter Server virtual machine (VM). Before you
create the desktop pool, you need to prepare and configure this VM, which will be the parent, or master
image of the clones.
For information about preparing machines that are used as Remote Desktop Services (RDS) hosts, see
the Setting Up Desktops and Application Pools in Horizon 7 guide.
For information about preparing Linux VMs for remote desktop deployment, see the Setting Up Horizon 7
for Linux Desktops guide.
Note
nStarting with version 7.0, View Agent is renamed Horizon Agent and View Administrator is renamed
Horizon Administrator.
nVMware Blast, the display protocol that is available starting with Horizon 7.0, is also known as
VMware Blast Extreme.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nCreating a Virtual Machine for Cloning
nInstall Horizon Agent on a Virtual Machine
nInstall Horizon Agent Silently
nConfigure a Virtual Machine with Multiple NICs for Horizon Agent
nOptimize Guest Operating System Performance
nDisable the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program
nOptimizing Windows for Instant-Clone and View Composer Linked-Clone Virtual Machines
nPreparing a Parent Virtual Machine
nCreating Virtual Machine Templates
nCreating Customization Specifications
Creating a Virtual Machine for Cloning
The first step in the process of deploying a pool of cloned desktops is to create a virtual machine in
vSphere, install and configure the operating system.
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1Create a Virtual Machine in vSphere
You can create a virtual machine in vSphere from scratch or by cloning an existing VM. This
procedure describes creating a VM from scratch.
2Install a Guest Operating System
After you create a virtual machine, you must install a guest operating system.
3Prepare a Guest Operating System for Remote Desktop Deployment
You must perform certain tasks to prepare a guest operating system for remote desktop deployment.
4Prepare Windows Server Operating Systems for Desktop Use
To use a Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server 2016 virtual
machine as a single-session virtual desktop (rather than as an RDS host), you must perform certain
steps before you install Horizon Agent in the virtual machine. You must also configure Horizon
Administrator to treat Windows Servers as supported operating systems for Horizon 7 desktop use.
5Install Desktop Experience on Windows Server 2008 R2
For RDS desktops and applications, and for VDI desktops that are deployed on single-user virtual
machines that run Windows Server, scanner redirection requires that you install the Desktop
Experience feature on the RDS hosts and the single-user virtual machines.
6Install Desktop Experience on Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, or 2016
For RDS desktops and applications, and for VDI desktops that are deployed on single-user virtual
machines that run Windows Server, scanner redirection requires that you install the Desktop
Experience feature on the RDS hosts and the single-user virtual machines.
7Configure the Windows Firewall Service to Restart After Failures
Some Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 2016, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 machines that are
deployed as single-session desktops do not become available immediately after they are
provisioned. This issue occurs when the Windows Firewall service does not restart after its timeout
period expires. You can configure the Windows Firewall service on the parent (master image) or
template virtual machine to ensure that all machines in a desktop pool become available.
Create a Virtual Machine in vSphere
You can create a virtual machine in vSphere from scratch or by cloning an existing VM. This procedure
describes creating a VM from scratch.
Prerequisites
nFamiliarize yourself with the custom configuration parameters for virtual machines. See Virtual
Machine Custom Configuration Parameters.
Procedure
1Log in to vSphere Client.
2Select File > New > Virtual Machine to start the New Virtual Machine wizard.
3Select Custom and configure custom configuration parameters.
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4Select Edit the virtual machine settings before completion and click Continue to configure
hardware settings.
a Add a CD/DVD drive, set the media type to use an ISO image file, select the ISO image file of an
appropriate operating system, and select Connect at power on.
b Set Power-on Boot Delay to 10,000 milliseconds.
5Click Finish to create the virtual machine.
What to do next
Install the operating system.
Virtual Machine Custom Configuration Parameters
You can use virtual machine custom configuration parameters as baseline settings when you create a
virtual machine for remote desktop deployment.
You can change certain settings when you use Horizon Administrator to deploy desktop pools from the
virtual machine.
Table 3‑1. Custom Configuration Parameters
Parameter Description and Recommendations
Name and Location The name and location of the virtual machine.
If you plan to use the virtual machine as a template, assign a generic name. The location
can be any folder within your datacenter inventory.
Host/Cluster The ESXi server or cluster of server resources that will run the virtual machine.
If you plan to use the virtual machine as a template, the location of the initial virtual
machine does not necessarily specify where future virtual machines created from
template will reside.
Resource Pool If the physical ESXi server resources are divided into resource pools, you can assign
them to the virtual machine.
Datastore The location of files associated with the virtual machine.
Hardware Machine Version The hardware machine version that is available depends on the ESXi version you are
running. As a best practice, select the latest available hardware machine version, which
provides the greatest virtual machine functionality. Certain Horizon 7 features require
minimum hardware machine versions.
Guest Operating System The type of operating system that you will install in the virtual machine.
CPUs The number of virtual processors in the virtual machine.
For most guest operating systems, a single processor is sufficient.
Memory The amount of memory to allocate to the virtual machine.
In most cases, 512MB is sufficient.
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Table 3‑1. Custom Configuration Parameters (Continued)
Parameter Description and Recommendations
Network The number of virtual network adapters (NICs) in the virtual machine.
One NIC is usually sufficient. The network name should be consistent across virtual
infrastructures. An incorrect network name in a template can cause failures during the
instance customization phases.
When you install Horizon Agent on a virtual machine that has more than one NIC, you
must configure the subnet that Horizon Agent uses. See Configure a Virtual Machine
with Multiple NICs for Horizon Agent for more information.
Important For Windows 7, Windows 8.*, Windows 10, Windows Server 2008 R2, and
Windows Server 2012 R2 operating systems, you must select the VMXNET 3 network
adapter. Using the default E1000 adapter can cause customization timeout errors on
virtual machines. To use the VMXNET 3 adapter, you must install a Microsoft hotfix:
For Windows 7 SP1, install the following hotfixes:
nhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/2550978
Install the hotfix before installing Horizon Agent. When installing the hotfix, if you
encounter Windows Update error 0x80070424, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-
us/kb/968002.
nhttps://support.microsoft.com/en-au/kb/2578159
nhttps://support.microsoft.com/en-au/kb/2661332
For more information on installing the hotfixes, see
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2073945.
SCSI Controller The type of SCSI adapter to use with the virtual machine.
For Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 7 guest operating systems, you should specify the LSI
Logic adapter. The LSI Logic adapter has improved performance and works better with
generic SCSI devices.
LSI Logic SAS is available only for virtual machines with hardware version 7 and later.
Select a Disk The disk to use with the virtual machine.
Create a new virtual disk based on the amount of local storage that you decide to
allocate to each user. Allow enough storage space for the OS installation, patches, and
locally installed applications.
To reduce the need for disk space and management of local data, you should store the
user's information, profile, and documents on network shares rather than on a local disk.
Install a Guest Operating System
After you create a virtual machine, you must install a guest operating system.
Prerequisites
nVerify that an ISO image file of the guest operating system is on a datastore on your ESXi server.
nVerify that the CD/DVD drive in the virtual machine points to the ISO image file of the guest operating
system and that the CD/DVD drive is configured to connect at power on.
Procedure
1In vSphere Client, log in to the vCenter Server system where the virtual machine resides.
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2Right-click the virtual machine, select Power, and select Power On to start the virtual machine.
Because you configured the CD/DVD drive to point to the ISO image of the guest operating system
and to connect at power on, the guest operating system installation process begins automatically.
3Click the Console tab and follow the installation instructions provided by the operating system
vendor.
4Activate Windows.
What to do next
Prepare the guest operating system for Horizon 7 desktop deployment.
Prepare a Guest Operating System for Remote Desktop
Deployment
You must perform certain tasks to prepare a guest operating system for remote desktop deployment.
Prerequisites
nCreate a virtual machine and install a guest operating system.
nConfigure an Active Directory domain controller for your remote desktops. See the View Installation
document for more information.
nTo make sure that desktop users are added to the local Remote Desktop Users group of the virtual
machine, create a restricted Remote Desktop Users group in Active Directory. See the View
Installation document for more information.
nVerify that Remote Desktop Services are started on the virtual machine. Remote Desktop Services
are required for Horizon Agent installation, SSO, and other Horizon 7 operations. You can disable
RDP access to your Horizon 7 desktops by configuring desktop pool settings and group policy
settings. See Prevent Access to Horizon 7 Desktops Through RDP.
nVerify that you have administrative rights on the guest operating system.
nOn Windows Server operating systems, prepare the operating system for desktop use. See Prepare
Windows Server Operating Systems for Desktop Use.
nIf you intend to configure 3D graphics rendering for desktop pools, familiarize yourself with the
Enable 3D Support setting for virtual machines.
This setting is active on Windows 7 and later operating systems. On ESXi 5.1 and later hosts, you
can also select options that determine how the 3D renderer is managed on the ESXi host. For details,
see the vSphere Virtual Machine Administration document.
Procedure
1In vSphere Client, log in to the vCenter Server system where the virtual machine resides.
2Right-click the virtual machine, select Power, and select Power On to start the virtual machine.
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3Right-click the virtual machine, select Guest, and select Install/Upgrade VMware Tools to install the
latest version of VMware Tools.
Note The virtual printing feature is supported only when you install it from Horizon Agent. Virtual
printing is not supported if you install it with VMware Tools.
4Ensure that the virtual machine is synchronized to a reliable time source.
In general, guests can use the VMware Tools time synchronization method in preference to other
methods of time synchronization. The VMware Tools online help provides information on configuring
time synchronization between guest and host.
A Windows guest that is a member of a Windows domain synchronizes its time with its domain
controller using the Windows Time Service. For these guests, this is the appropriate time
synchronization method and VMware Tools time synchronization must not be used.
Guests must use only one method of time synchronization. For example, a Windows guest that is not
a member of a Windows domain must have its Windows Time Service disabled.
Important Hosts that are being relied upon for time synchronization must themselves be
synchronized to a reliable time source, using the built-in NTP client. Verify that all hosts in a cluster
use the same time source.
Note Windows domain controllers can use either VMware Tools time synchronization or another
reliable time source. All domain controllers within a forest and domain controllers across forests with
inter-forest trusts must be configured to use the same time source.
5Install service packs and updates.
6Install antivirus software.
7Install other applications and software, such as smart card drivers if you are using smart card
authentication.
If you plan to use VMware Identity Manager to offer a catalog that includes ThinApp applications, you
must install VMware Identity Manager for Windows.
Important If you are installing Microsoft .NET Framework, you must install it after you install
Horizon Agent.
8If Horizon Client devices will connect to the virtual machine with the PCoIP display protocol, set the
power option Turn off the display to Never.
If you do not disable this setting, the display will appear to freeze in its last state when power savings
mode starts.
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9If Horizon Client devices will connect to the virtual machine with the PCoIP display protocol, go to
Control Panel > System > Advanced System Settings > Performance Settings and change the
setting for Visual Effects to Adjust for best performance.
If you instead use the setting called Adjust for best appearance or Let Windows choose what's
best for my computer and Windows chooses appearance instead of performance, performance is
negatively affected.
10 If a proxy server is used in your network environment, configure network proxy settings.
11 Configure network connection properties.
a Assign a static IP address or specify that an IP address is assigned by a DHCP server.
Horizon 7 does not support link-local (169.254.x.x) addresses for Horizon 7 desktops.
b Set the preferred and alternate DNS server addresses to your Active Directory server address.
12 (Optional) Join the virtual machine to the Active Directory domain for your remote desktops.
A parent or master image virtual machine for creating instant clones or View Composer linked clones
must either belong to the same Active Directory domain as the domain that the desktop machines will
join or be a member of a workgroup.
13 Configure Windows Firewall to allow Remote Desktop connections to the virtual machine.
14 (Optional) Disable Hot Plug PCI devices.
This step prevents users from accidentally disconnecting the virtual network device (vNIC) from the
virtual machine.
15 (Optional) Configure user customization scripts.
Prepare Windows Server Operating Systems for Desktop Use
To use a Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server 2016 virtual machine
as a single-session virtual desktop (rather than as an RDS host), you must perform certain steps before
you install Horizon Agent in the virtual machine. You must also configure Horizon Administrator to treat
Windows Servers as supported operating systems for Horizon 7 desktop use.
Prerequisites
nFamiliarize yourself with the steps to install the Desktop Experience feature on Windows Server 2008
R2, Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server 2016. See Install Desktop Experience on Windows
Server 2008 R2 or Install Desktop Experience on Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, or 2016
nOn Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2016 machines, familiarize yourself with the steps
to configure the Windows Firewall service to restart after failures occur. See Configure the Windows
Firewall Service to Restart After Failures.
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Procedure
1Verify that the Remote Desktop Services role is not installed.
When the Remote Desktop Services role is not present, the Horizon Agent installer prompts you to
confirm that you want to install Horizon Agent in desktop mode. If the Remote Desktop Services role
is present, the Horizon Agent installer does not display this prompt and it treats the Windows Server
machine as an RDS host instead of a single-session Horizon 7 desktop.
2Install Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1), Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server
2016.
If you do not install SP1 with Windows Server 2008 R2, an error occurs when you install
Horizon Agent.
3(Optional) Install the Desktop Experience feature if you plan to use the following features.
nHTML Access
nScanner redirection
nWindows Aero
4(Optional) To use Windows Aero on a Windows Server desktop, start the Themes service.
When you create or edit a desktop pool, you can configure 3D graphics rendering for your desktops.
The 3D Renderer setting offers a Software option that enables users to run Windows Aero on the
desktops in the pool.
5On Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2016 machines, configure the Windows Firewall
service to restart after failures occur.
6Configure Horizon Administrator to treat Windows Servers as supported desktop operating systems.
If you do not perform this step, you cannot select Windows Server machines for desktop use in
Horizon Administrator.
a In Horizon Administrator, select View Configuration > Global Settings.
b In the General pane, click Edit.
c Select the Enable Windows Server desktops check box and click OK.
When you enable Windows Server desktops in Horizon Administrator, Horizon Administrator displays all
available Windows Server machines, including machines on which Connection Server is installed, as
potential machines for desktop use. You cannot install Horizon Agent on machines on which other
Horizon 7 software components are installed.
Install Desktop Experience on Windows Server 2008 R2
For RDS desktops and applications, and for VDI desktops that are deployed on single-user virtual
machines that run Windows Server, scanner redirection requires that you install the Desktop Experience
feature on the RDS hosts and the single-user virtual machines.
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Procedure
1Log in as an administrator.
2Start Server Manager.
3Click Features.
4Click Add Features.
5On the Select Features page, select the Desktop Experience checkbox.
6Review the information about other features that are required by the Desktop Experience feature, and
click Add Required Features.
7Follow the prompts and finish the installation.
Install Desktop Experience on Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, or
2016
For RDS desktops and applications, and for VDI desktops that are deployed on single-user virtual
machines that run Windows Server, scanner redirection requires that you install the Desktop Experience
feature on the RDS hosts and the single-user virtual machines.
Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows Server 2016 are supported on machines
that are used as RDS hosts. Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows Server 2016 is supported on single-
user virtual machines.
Procedure
1Log in as an administrator.
2Start Server Manager.
3Select Add roles and features.
4On the Select Installation Type page, select Role-based or feature-based installation.
Note For Windows Server 2016 installation, select Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server
(Server with Desktop Experience). If you do not make a choice in the Setup wizard, Windows
Server 2016 is installed as the Server Core installation option. You cannot switch between the
installation options. If you install Windows Server (Server with Desktop Experience), and later
decide to use Windows Server 2016, you must perform a fresh installation of Windows Server 2016.
5On the Select Destination Server page, select a server.
6On the Select Server Roles page, accept the default selection and click Next.
7On the Select Features page, under User Interfaces and Infrastructure, select Desktop
Experience.
8Follow the prompts and finish the installation.
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Configure the Windows Firewall Service to Restart After Failures
Some Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 2016, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 machines that are
deployed as single-session desktops do not become available immediately after they are provisioned.
This issue occurs when the Windows Firewall service does not restart after its timeout period expires. You
can configure the Windows Firewall service on the parent (master image) or template virtual machine to
ensure that all machines in a desktop pool become available.
If you encounter this issue during provisioning, the Windows event logs display the following error: The
Windows Firewall service terminated with the following service-specific error: This
operation returned because the timeout period expired.
This issue occurs on Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 machines. Other guest
operating systems are not affected.
Procedure
1On the Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 parent (master image) or template
virtual machine from which you will deploy a desktop pool, select Control Panel > Administrative
Tools > Services.
2In the Services dialog box, right-click the Windows Firewall service and select Properties.
3In the Windows Firewall Properties dialog box, click the Recovery tab.
4Select the recovery settings to restart the service after a failure occurs.
Setting Drop-down Menu Option
First failure: Restart the Service
Second failure: Restart the Service
Subsequent failures: Restart the Service
5Select the Enable actions for stops with errors check box and click OK.
6Deploy or redeploy the desktop pool from the parent (master image) or template virtual machine.
Install Horizon Agent on a Virtual Machine
You must install Horizon Agent on virtual machines that are managed by vCenter Server so that
Connection Server can communicate with them. Install Horizon Agent on all virtual machines that you use
as templates for full-clone desktop pools, parents for linked-clone desktop pools, master images for
instant-clone desktop pools, and machines in manual desktop pools.
To install Horizon Agent on multiple Windows virtual machines without having to respond to wizard
prompts, you can install Horizon Agent silently. See Install Horizon Agent Silently.
The Horizon Agent software cannot coexist on the same virtual or physical machine with other Horizon
software components, including security server, Connection Server, and View Composer. It can coexist
with Horizon Client.
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Prerequisites
nVerify that you have prepared Active Directory. See the View Installation document.
nPrepare the guest operating system for remote desktop deployment. See Prepare a Guest Operating
System for Remote Desktop Deployment.
nTo use a Windows Server virtual machine as a remote desktop (rather than as an RDS host), perform
the steps described in Prepare Windows Server Operating Systems for Desktop Use.
nIf the machine has the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package installed, verify that the version
of the package is 2005 SP1 or later. If the package version is 2005 or earlier, you can either upgrade
or uninstall the package.
nDownload the Horizon Agent installer file from the VMware product page at
http://www.vmware.com/go/downloadview.
nVerify that you have administrative rights on the virtual machine.
nFamiliarize yourself with the Horizon Agent custom setup options. See Horizon Agent Custom Setup
Options.
nFamiliarize yourself with the TCP ports that the Horizon Agent installation program opens on the
firewall. See the View Architecture Planning document for more information.
Procedure
1To start the Horizon Agent installation program, double-click the installer file.
The installer filename is VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe or VMware-viewagent-x86_64-
y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe, where y.y.y is the version number and xxxxxx is the build number.
2Accept the VMware license terms.
3If you install Horizon Agent on a Windows Server machine on which the Remote Desktop Services
(RDS) role is not installed, select Install VMware Horizon Agent in 'desktop mode'.
Selecting this option configures the Windows Server machine as a single-user virtual desktop rather
than as an RDS host. If you intend the machine to function as an RDS host, cancel the Horizon Agent
installation, install the RDS role on the machine, and restart the Horizon Agent installation.
4Select the Internet Protocol (IP) version, IPv4 or IPv6.
You must install all View components with the same IP version.
5Select whether to enable or disable FIPS mode.
This option is available only if FIPS mode is enabled in Windows.
6Select your custom setup options.
To deploy View Composer linked-clone desktops, select the VMware Horizon View Composer
Agent option. To deploy instant-clone desktops, select the VMware Horizon Instant Clone Agent
option. You cannot select both of these options.
7Accept or change the destination folder.
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8Follow the prompts in the Horizon Agent installation program and finish the installation.
Note If you did not enable Remote Desktop support during guest operating system preparation, the
Horizon Agent installation program prompts you to enable it. If you do not enable Remote Desktop
support during Horizon Agent installation, you must enable it manually after the installation is finished.
9If you selected the USB redirection option, restart the virtual machine to enable USB support.
In addition, the Found New Hardware wizard might start. Follow the prompts in the wizard to
configure the hardware before you restart the virtual machine.
What to do next
If the virtual machine has multiple NICs, configure the subnet that Horizon Agent uses. See Configure a
Virtual Machine with Multiple NICs for Horizon Agent.
Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options
When you install Horizon Agent on a virtual machine, you can select or deselect custom setup options. In
addition, Horizon Agent installs certain features automatically on all guest operating systems on which
they are supported. These features are not optional.
To learn which features are supported on which guest operating systems, see "Feature Support Matrix for
Horizon Agent" in the View Architecture Planning document.
To change custom setup options after you install the latest Horizon Agent version, you must uninstall and
reinstall Horizon Agent. For patches and upgrades, you can run the new Horizon Agent installer and
select a new set of options without uninstalling the previous version.
All custom setup options are selected by default except USB Redirection, Scanner Redirection,
Smartcard Redirection, Serial Port Redirection, Flash Redirection, Skype for Business, VMware Horizon
Instant Clone Agent, and HTML5 Multimedia Redirection.
Table 3‑2. Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options in an IPv4 Environment
Option Description
Core Installs the core functionality.
USB Redirection Gives users access to locally connected USB devices on their desktops.
USB redirection is supported on remote desktops that are deployed on single-user machines. In
addition, redirection of USB flash drives and hard disks is supported on RDS desktops and
applications.
This option is not selected by default. You must select the option to install it.
For guidance on using USB redirection securely, see the View Security guide. For example, you can
use group policy settings to disable USB redirection for specific users.
Real-Time Audio-Video Redirects webcam and audio devices that are connected to the client system so that they can be
used on the remote desktop.
Client Drive Redirection Allows Horizon Client users to share local drives with their remote desktops.
After this option is installed, no further configuration is required on the remote desktop.
Client Drive Redirection is also supported on RDS desktops and applications and on virtual machine
desktops that run on unmanaged machines.
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Table 3‑2. Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options in an IPv4 Environment (Continued)
Option Description
Virtual Printing Lets users print to any printer available on their client computers. Users do not have to install
additional drivers on their desktops.
Virtual printing is supported on the following remote desktops and applications:
nDesktops that are deployed on single-user machines, including Windows desktop and Windows
Server machines.
nDesktops that are deployed on RDS hosts, where the RDS hosts are virtual machines.
nRemote applications.
nRemote applications that are launched from Horizon Client inside remote desktops (nested
sessions).
The virtual printing feature is supported only when you install it from Horizon Agent. It is not
supported if you install it with VMware Tools.
vRealize Operations
Desktop Agent
Provides information that allows vRealize Operations for View to monitor View desktops.
VMware Horizon 7 Persona
Management
Synchronizes the user profile on the local desktop with a remote profile repository, so that users have
access to their profiles whenever they log in to a desktop.
Scanner Redirection Redirects scanning and imaging devices that are connected to the client system so that they can be
used on the remote desktop or application.
This option is not selected by default. You must select the option to install it.
VMware Client IP
Transparency
Enables remote connections to Internet Explorer to use the Client's IP address instead of the remote
desktop machine's IP address.
This setup option is not selected by default. You must select the option to install it.
Smartcard Redirection Lets users authenticate with smart cards when they use the PCoIP or Blast Extreme display protocol.
This option is not selected by default.
Smartcard Redirection is supported on remote desktops that are deployed on single-user machines.
Serial Port Redirection Redirects serial COM ports that are connected to the client system so that they can be used on the
remote desktop.
This option is not selected by default. You must select the option to install it.
Serial port redirection is supported on remote desktops that are deployed on single-user machines.
VMware Audio Provides a virtual audio driver on the remote desktop.
Flash Redirection Redirects Flash multimedia content in an Internet Explorer 9, 10, or 11 browser to the client, for
performance optimization.
HTML5 Multimedia
Redirection
Redirects HTML5 multimedia content in a Chrome browser to the client, for performance optimization.
URL Content Redirection Redirects URL content in an Internet Explorer 9, 10, or 11 browser from client-to-client, for
performance optimization.
VMware Horizon View
Composer Agent
Lets this virtual machine be the parent VM of a View Composer linked-clone desktop pool. If you
select this option, you cannot select the VMware Horizon Instant Clone Agent option.
VMware Horizon Instant
Clone Agent
Lets this virtual machine be the parent VM of an instant-clone desktop pool. This option is not
selected by default. If you select this option, you cannot select the VMware Horizon View Composer
Agent option.
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Table 3‑2. Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options in an IPv4 Environment (Continued)
Option Description
Local Printer Redirection Local printer redirection is designed for the following use cases:
nPrinters directly connected to USB or serial ports on the client device
nSpecialized printers such as bar code printers and label printers connected to the client
nNetwork printers on a remote network that are not addressable from the virtual session.
Fingerprint Scanner
Redirection
Redirects fingerprint scanner devices that are plugged into a serial port on a Windows client system
to virtual desktops, published desktops, and published applications.
VMware Virtualization Pack
for Skype for Business
Makes optimized audio and video calls with Skype for Business inside a virtual desktop. This option is
not selected by default. You must select the option to install it.
In an IPv6 environment, Core, VMware Horizon View Composer Agent, Virtual Printing, and VMware
Audio options are selected and installed by default.
Table 3‑3. Horizon Agent Features That Are Installed Automatically (Not Optional)
Feature Description
PCoIP Agent Lets users connect to the View desktop using the PCoIP display
protocol.
Installing the PCoIP Agent feature disables sleep mode on
Windows desktops. When a user navigates to the Power
Options or Shut Down menu, sleep mode or standby mode is
inactive. Desktops do not go into sleep or standby mode after a
default period of inactivity. Desktops remain in active mode.
Windows Media Multimedia Redirection (MMR) Extends multimedia redirection to Windows 7 and later desktops
and clients. This feature delivers a multimedia stream directly to
the client computer, allowing the multimedia stream to be
processed on the client hardware instead of the remote ESXi
host.
Unity Touch Allows tablet and smart phone users to interact easily with
Windows applications that run on the remote desktop. Users can
browse, search, and open Windows applications and files,
choose favorite applications and files, and switch between
running applications, all without using the Start menu or Taskbar.
Virtual video driver Provides a virtual video driver on the remote desktop.
VMware Blast Installs the VMware Blast display protocol on remote desktops.
Core Installs the core functionality.
PSG Agent Installs the PCoIP Secure Gateway on remote desktops to
implement the PCoIP display protocol.
Install Horizon Agent Silently
You can use the silent installation feature of the Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) to install Horizon Agent
on several Windows virtual machines or physical computers. In a silent installation, you use the command
line and do not have to respond to wizard prompts.
With silent installation, you can efficiently deploy View components in a large enterprise.
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If you do not want to install all features that are installed automatically or by default, you can use the
ADDLOCAL MSI property to selectively install individual setup options and features. For details about the
ADDLOCAL property, see Table 3‑5.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you have prepared Active Directory. See the View Installation document.
nPrepare the guest operating system for desktop deployment. See Prepare a Guest Operating System
for Remote Desktop Deployment.
nTo use Windows Server as a single-session remote desktop (rather than as an RDS host), perform
the steps described in Prepare Windows Server Operating Systems for Desktop Use.
nIf the machine has the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package installed, verify that the version
of the package is 2005 SP1 or later. If the package version is 2005 or earlier, you can either upgrade
or uninstall the package.
nDownload the Horizon Agent installer file from the VMware product page at
http://www.vmware.com/go/downloadview.
The installer filename is VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe or VMware-viewagent-x86_64-
y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe, where y.y.y is the version number and xxxxxx is the build number.
nVerify that you have administrative rights on the virtual machine or physical PC.
nFamiliarize yourself with the Horizon Agent custom setup options. See Horizon Agent Custom Setup
Options.
nFamiliarize yourself with the MSI installer command-line options. See Microsoft Windows Installer
Command-Line Options.
nFamiliarize yourself with the silent installation properties available with Horizon Agent. See Silent
Installation Properties for Horizon Agent.
nFamiliarize yourself with the TCP ports that the Horizon Agent installation program opens on the
firewall. See the View Architecture Planning document for more information.
nVerify that the latest Windows Update patches are installed on the guest operating systems on which
you plan to install Horizon Agent silently. In certain cases, an interactive installation by an
administrator might be required to execute pending Windows Update patches. Verify that all OS
operations and subsequent reboots are completed.
Procedure
1Open a Windows command prompt on the virtual machine or physical PC.
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2Type the installation command on one line.
The following example installs Horizon Agent with the components Core, VMware Blast, PCoIP, Unity
Touch, VmVideo, PSG, View Composer Agent, Virtual Printing, USB redirection, and Real-Time
Audio-Video components.
VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn VDM_VC_MANAGED_AGENT=1
ADDLOCAL=Core,SVIAgent,ThinPrint,USB,RTAV"
The following example installs Horizon Agent on an unmanaged computer and registers the desktop
with the specified View Connection Server, cs1.companydomain.com. In addition, the installer installs
the Core, VMware Blast, PCoIP, Unity Touch, VmVideo, PSG, Virtual Printing, and USB redirection
components.
VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn VDM_VC_MANAGED_AGENT=0
VDM_SERVER_NAME=cs1.companydomain.com VDM_SERVER_USERNAME=admin.companydomain.com
VDM_SERVER_PASSWORD=secret ADDLOCAL=Core,ThinPrint,USB"
If you install Horizon Agent on a Windows Server machine, and you intend to configure the machine
as a single-user View desktop rather than as an RDS host, you must include the
VDM_FORCE_DESKTOP_AGENT=1 property in the installation command. This requirement applies to
machines that are managed by vCenter Server and unmanaged machines.
What to do next
If the virtual machine has multiple NICs, configure the subnet that Horizon Agent uses. See Configure a
Virtual Machine with Multiple NICs for Horizon Agent.
Microsoft Windows Installer Command-Line Options
To install Horizon 7 components silently, you must use Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) command-line
options and properties. The Horizon 7 component installers are MSI programs and use standard MSI
features.
For details about MSI, see the Microsoft Web site. For MSI command-line options, see the Microsoft
Developer Network (MSDN) Library Web site and search for MSI command-line options. To see MSI
command-line usage, you can open a command prompt on the Horizon 7 component computer and type
msiexec /?.
To run a Horizon 7 component installer silently, you begin by silencing the bootstrap program that extracts
the installer into a temporary directory and starts an interactive installation.
At the command line, you must enter command-line options that control the installer's bootstrap program.
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Table 3‑4. Command-Line Options for a Horizon 7 Component's Bootstrap Program
Option Description
/s Disables the bootstrap splash screen and extraction dialog, which prevents the display of
interactive dialogs.
For example: VMware-viewconnectionserver-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /s
The /s option is required to run a silent installation.
/v"
MSI_command_line_options"
Instructs the installer to pass the double-quote-enclosed string that you enter at the command
line as a set of options for MSI to interpret. You must enclose your command-line entries
between double quotes. Place a double quote after the /v and at the end of the command
line.
For example: VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /s /v"command_line_options"
To instruct the MSI installer to interpret a string that contains spaces, enclose the string in two
sets of double quotes. For example, you might want to install the Horizon 7 component in an
installation path name that contains spaces.
For example: VMware-viewconnectionserver-y.y.y-
xxxxxx.exe /s /v"command_line_options INSTALLDIR=""d:\abc\my folder"""
In this example, the MSI installer passes on the installation-directory path and does not
attempt to interpret the string as two command-line options. Note the final double quote that
encloses the entire command line.
The /v"command_line_options" option is required to run a silent installation.
You control the remainder of a silent installation by passing command-line options and MSI property
values to the MSI installer, msiexec.exe. The MSI installer includes the Horizon 7 component's
installation code. The installer uses the values and options that you enter in the command line to interpret
installation choices and setup options that are specific to the Horizon 7 component.
Table 3‑5. MSI Command-Line Options and MSI Properties
MSI Option or
Property Description
/qn Instructs the MSI installer not to display the installer wizard pages.
For example, you might want to install Horizon Agent silently and use only default setup options and
features:
VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn"
Alternatively, you can use the /qb option to display a basic progress dialog box in a noninteractive,
automated installation.
The /qn or /qb option is required to run a silent installation.
For information about additional /q parameters, see the Microsoft Dev Center website.
INSTALLDIR Specifies an alternative installation path for the Horizon 7 component.
Use the format INSTALLDIR=path to specify an installation path. You can ignore this MSI property if you
want to install the Horizon 7 component in the default path.
This MSI property is optional.
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Table 3‑5. MSI Command-Line Options and MSI Properties (Continued)
MSI Option or
Property Description
ADDLOCAL Determines the component-specific options to install.
In an interactive installation, the Horizon 7 installer displays custom setup options that you can select or
deselect. In a silent installation, you can use the ADDLOCAL property to selectively install individual setup
options by specifying the options on the command line. Options that you do not explicitly specify are not
installed.
In both interactive and silent installations, the Horizon 7 installer automatically installs certain features.
You cannot use ADDLOCAL to control whether or not to install these non-optional features.
Type ADDLOCAL=ALL to install all custom setup options that can be installed during an interactive
installation, including those that are installed by default and those that you must select to install, except
NGVC. NGVC and SVIAgent are mutually exclusive.
The following example installs Core, BlastProtocol, PCoIP, UnityTouch, VmVideo, PSG, and all features
that are supported on the guest operating system: VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn
ADDLOCAL=ALL"
If you do not use the ADDLOCAL property, the custom setup options that are installed by default and the
automatically installed features are installed. Custom setup options that are off (unselected) by default are
not installed.
The following example installs Core, BlastProtocol, PCoIP, UnityTouch, VmVideo, PSG, and the on-by-
default custom setup options that are supported on the guest operating system: VMware-viewagent-
y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn"
To specify individual setup options, type a comma-separated list of setup option names. Do not use
spaces between names. Use the format ADDLOCAL=value,value,value....
You must include Core when you use the ADDLOCAL=value,value,value... property.
The following example installs Horizon Agent with the Core, BlastProtocol, PCoIP, UnityTouch, VmVideo,
PSG, Instant Clone Agent, and Virtual Printing features:
VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn ADDLOCAL=Core,NGVC,ThinPrint"
The preceding example does not install other components, even those that are installed by default
interactively.
The ADDLOCAL MSI property is optional.
REBOOT You can use the REBOOT=ReallySuppress option to allow system configuration tasks to complete before
the system reboots.
This MSI property is optional.
/l*v log_file Writes logging information into the specified log file with verbose output.
For example: /l*v ""%TEMP%\vmmsi.log""
This example generates a detailed log file that is similar to the log generated during an interactive
installation.
You can use this option to record custom features that might apply uniquely to your installation. You can
use the recorded information to specify installation features in future silent installations.
The /l*v option is optional.
Silent Installation Properties for Horizon Agent
You can include specific properties when you silently install Horizon Agent from the command line. You
must use a PROPERTY=value format so that Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) can interpret the properties
and values.
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The following table shows the Horizon Agent silent installation properties that you can use at the
command-line.
Table 3‑6. MSI Properties for Silently Installing Horizon Agent
MSI Property Description Default Value
INSTALLDIR Path and folder in which the Horizon Agent software is installed.
For example:
INSTALLDIR=""D:\abc\my folder""
The sets of two double quotes that enclose the path permit the MSI
installer to ignore the space in the path.
This MSI property is optional.
%ProgramFiles
%\VMware\VMware
View\Agent
RDP_CHOICE Determines whether to enable Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) on
the desktop.
A value of 1 enables RDP. A value of 0 leaves the RDP setting
disabled.
This MSI property is optional.
1
SUPPRESS_RUNONCE_CHECK Ignores pending Windows Update tasks scheduled at the next
operating system reboot in
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnc
e and RunOnceEx keys. Using this flag allows concurrent
installation but does not guarantee the installation outcome when
the system updates affect the Horizon Agent run-time
dependencies.
This MSI property is optional.
None
URL_FILTERING_ENABLED Specifies whether the URL Content Redirection feature is installed.
A value of 1 installs the feature. You must use group policy settings
to configure which URLs to redirect. See "Configuring URL Content
Redirection in the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in
Horizon 7 document.
This MSI property is optional.
0
VDM_SKIP_BROKER_REGISTRATION A value of 1 skips unmanaged desktops. None
VDM_VC_MANAGED_AGENT Determines whether vCenter Server manages the virtual machine
on which Horizon Agent is installed.
A value of 1 configures the desktop as a vCenter Server-managed
virtual machine.
A value of 0 configures the desktop as unmanaged by vCenter
Server.
This MSI property is required.
None
VDM_SERVER_NAME Host name or IP address of the Connection Server instance on
which the Horizon Agent installer registers an unmanaged desktop.
This property applies to unmanaged desktops only. For example:
VDM_SERVER_NAME=10.123.01.01
This MSI property is required for unmanaged desktops.
Do not use this MSI property for virtual desktops that are managed
by vCenter Server.
None
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Table 3‑6. MSI Properties for Silently Installing Horizon Agent (Continued)
MSI Property Description Default Value
VDM_SERVER_USERNAME User name of the administrator on the Connection Server instance.
This MSI property applies only to unmanaged desktops. For
example:
VDM_SERVER_USERNAME=domain\username
This MSI property is required for unmanaged desktops.
Do not use this MSI property for virtual desktops that are managed
by vCenter Server.
None
VDM_SERVER_PASSWORD Connection Server administrator user password. For example:
VDM_SERVER_PASSWORD=secret
This MSI property is required for unmanaged desktops.
Do not use this MSI property for virtual desktops that are managed
by vCenter Server.
None
VDM_IP_PROTOCOL_USAGE Specifies the IP version that Horizon Agent uses. Valid values are
IPv4 and IPv6.
IPv4
VDM_FIPS_ENABLED Specifies whether to enable or disable FIPS mode. A value of 1
enables FIPS mode. A value of 0 disables FIPS mode. If this
property is set to 1 and Windows is not in FIPS mode, the installer
will abort.
0
VDM_FLASH_URL_REDIRECTION Determines whether Horizon Agent can install the Flash URL
redirection feature. Specify 1 to enable installation or 0 to disable
installation.
This MSI property is optional.
0
INSTALL_VDISPLAY_DRIVER Configures the Horizon WDDM display driver. A value of 1 enables
the driver installation. A value of 0 or empty disables the driver
installation.
0
In a silent installation command, you can use the ADDLOCAL property to specify options that the
Horizon Agent installer configures.
The following table shows the Horizon Agent options that you can type at the command line. These
options have corresponding setup options that you can deselect or select during an interactive
installation.
For more information about the custom setup options, seeHorizon Agent Custom Setup Options.
When you do not use the ADDLOCAL property at the command line, Horizon Agent installs all of the
options that are installed by default during an interactive installation, if they are supported on the guest
operating system. When you use ADDLOCAL=ALL, Horizon Agent installs all of the following options, both
on-by-default and off-by-default, if they are supported on the guest operating system, except NGVC.
NGVC and SVIAgent are mutually exclusive. To install NGVC, you must specify it explicitly.
For more information, see the ADDLOCAL table entry in Microsoft Windows Installer Command-Line
Options.
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Table 3‑7. Horizon Agent Silent Installation Options and Interactive Custom Setup Options
Silent Installation Option
Custom Setup Option in an Interactive
Installation
Installed by Default Interactively or When
ADDLOCAL Is Not Used
Core Core Yes
USB USB Redirection No
SVIAgent View Composer Agent Yes
NGVC Instant Clone Agent No
RTAV Real-Time Audio-Video Yes
ClientDriveRedirection Client Drive Redirection Yes
SerialPortRedirection Serial Port Redirection No
ScannerRedirection Scanner Redirection No
FlashURLRedirection Flash URL Redirection
This feature is hidden unless you use the
VDM_FLASH_URL_REDIRECTION=1 property on
the command line.
No
FLASHMMR Flash Redirection No
HTML5MMR HTML5 Multimedia Redirection No
ThinPrint Virtual Printing Yes
V4V vRealize Operations Desktop Agent Yes
VPA View Persona Management Yes
SmartCard PCoIP Smartcard
This feature is not installed by default in an
interactive installation.
No
VmwVaudio VMware Audio (virtual audio driver) Yes
TSMMR Windows Media Multimedia Redirection (MMR) Yes
RDP Enables RDP in the registry if you use the
RDP_CHOICE=1 property on the command line or
select RDP as the default display protocol when
you create or edit a desktop pool in Horizon
Administrator.
This feature is hidden during interactive
installations.
Yes
VMWMediaProviderProxy VMware Virtualization Pack for Skype for
Business
No
DeviceBridgeBAS Device Bridge BAS Plugin
This feature is hidden unless you have installed
BAS 2.0.0.7
No
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Table 3‑7. Horizon Agent Silent Installation Options and Interactive Custom Setup Options
(Continued)
Silent Installation Option
Custom Setup Option in an Interactive
Installation
Installed by Default Interactively or When
ADDLOCAL Is Not Used
RDSH3D 3D rendering on RDS hosts No
CIT (64 bit only) Client IP Transparency.
Only exists in the 64bit installer. If you try to
install the feature through the command line with
the 32bit installer, MSI will return an error.
No
If you use ADDLOCAL to specify features individually (you do not specify ADDLOCAL=ALL), you must always
specify Core.
Table 3‑8. Horizon Agent Silent Installation Features That Are Installed Automatically
Silent Installation Feature Description
Core The core Horizon Agent functions.
If you specify ADDLOCAL=ALL, the Core features are installed.
BlastProtocol VMware Blast
PCoIP PCoIP Protocol Agent
VmVideo Virtual video driver
UnityTouch Unity Touch
PSG This feature sets a registry entry that tells Connection Server whether
Horizon Agent is using IPv4 or IPv6.
You install the Flash URL Redirection feature by using the VDM_FLASH_URL_REDIRECTION=1 property in a
silent installation. This feature is not installed during an interactive installation or by using ADDLOCAL=ALL
in a silent installation. For example:
VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn VDM_VC_MANAGED_AGENT=1
VDM_FLASH_URL_REDIRECTION=1
ADDLOCAL=Core,SVIAgent,ThinPrint,USB,FlashURLRedirection,RTAV"
Configure a Virtual Machine with Multiple NICs for
Horizon Agent
When you install Horizon Agent on a virtual machine that has more than one NIC, you must configure the
subnet that Horizon Agent uses. The subnet determines which network address Horizon Agent provides
to the Connection Server instance for client protocol connections.
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Procedure
uOn the virtual machine on which Horizon Agent is installed, open a command prompt, type
regedit.exe and create a registry entry to configure the subnet.
For example, in an IPv4 network:
HKLM\Software\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\IpPrefix = n.n.n.n/m (REG_SZ)
In this example, n.n.n.n is the TCP/IP subnet and m is the number of bits in the subnet mask.
Note In releases earlier than Horizon 6 version 6.1, this registry path was
HKLM\Software\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\Node Manager\subnet = n.n.n.n/m (REG_SZ).
The old registry setting is not used with View Agent 6.1 or later. If you upgrade View Agent from an
earlier release to version 6.1 or later, make sure to use the current registry setting.
Optimize Guest Operating System Performance
You can perform certain steps to optimize guest operating system performance for remote desktop
deployment. All of the steps are optional.
These recommendations include turning off the screen saver and not specifying a sleep timer. Your
organization might require the use of screen savers. For example, you might have a GPO-managed
security policy that locks a desktop a certain time after the screen saver starts. In this case, use a blank
screen saver.
Prerequisites
nPrepare a guest operating system for remote desktop deployment.
nFamiliarize yourself with the procedure for disabling the Windows Customer Experience Improvement
Program. See Disable the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program.
Procedure
nDisable any unused ports, such as COM1, COM2, and LPT.
nAdjust display properties.
a Choose a basic theme.
b Set the background to a solid color.
c Set the screen saver to None.
d Verify that hardware acceleration is enabled.
nSelect a high-performance power option and do not specify a sleep timer.
nDisable the Indexing Service component.
Note Indexing improves searches by cataloging files. Do not disable this feature for users who
search often.
nRemove or minimize System Restore points.
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nTurn off system protection on C:\.
nDisable any unnecessary services.
nSet the sound scheme to No Sounds.
nSet visual effects to Adjust for best performance.
nOpen Windows Media Player and use the default settings.
nTurn off automatic computer maintenance.
nAdjust performance settings for best performance.
nDelete any hidden uninstall folders in C:\Windows, such $NtUninstallKB893756$.
nDelete all event logs.
nRun Disk Cleanup to remove temporary files, empty the Recycle Bin, and remove system files and
other items that are no longer needed.
nRun Disk Defragmenter to rearrange fragmented data.
nUninstall Tablet PC Components, unless this feature is needed.
nDisable IPv6, unless it is needed.
nUse the File System Utility (fsutil) command to disable the setting that keeps track of the last time
a file was accessed.
For example: fsutil behavior set disablelastaccess 1
nStart the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and change the TimeOutValue REG_DWORD in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\Disk to 0x000000be(190).
nTurn off the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program and disable related tasks from the
Task Scheduler.
nRestart Windows after you make the above changes.
What to do next
See Optimizing Windows for Instant-Clone and View Composer Linked-Clone Virtual Machines for
information on disabling certain Windows services and tasks to reduce the growth of instant clones and
View Composer linked clones. Disabling certain services and tasks can also result in performance
benefits for full virtual machines.
Disable the Windows Customer Experience Improvement
Program
Disabling the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program and the related Task Scheduler
tasks that control this program can improve Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, and Windows 10 system
performance in large desktop pools.
The following steps apply to Windows 7 and Windows 8. The steps might vary on different Windows
operating systems.
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Procedure
1In the Windows 7 or Windows 8 guest operating system, start the control panel and click Action
Center > Change Action Center settings.
2Click Customer Experience Improvement Program settings.
3Select No, I don't want to participate in the program and click Save changes.
4Start the control panel and click Administrative Tools > Task Scheduler.
5In the Task Scheduler (Local) pane of the Task Scheduler dialog box, expand the Task Scheduler
Library > Microsoft > Windows nodes and open the Application Experience folder.
6Disable the AITAgent, ProgramDataUpdater, and if available, Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser
tasks.
7In the Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows node, open the Customer Experience
Improvement Program folder.
8Disable the Consolidator, KernelCEIPTask, and UsbCEIP tasks.
9In the Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows node, open the Autochk folder.
10 Disable the Proxy task.
What to do next
Perform other Windows optimization tasks. See Optimize Guest Operating System Performance.
Optimizing Windows for Instant-Clone and View
Composer Linked-Clone Virtual Machines
By disabling certain Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, and Windows 10 services and tasks, you can reduce the
growth in disk usage of instant clones and View Composer linked clones. Disabling certain services and
tasks can also result in performance benefits for full virtual machines.
Benefits of Disabling Windows Services and Tasks
Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, and Windows 10 schedule services and tasks that can cause instant clones
and View Composer linked clones to grow, even when the machines are idle. The incremental growth of
the OS disk can undo the storage savings that you achieve when you first create the clones. You can
reduce growth in disk size by disabling these Windows services.
Windows guest operating systems schedule services such as disk defragmentation to run by default.
These services run in the background if you do not disable them.
Services that affect OS disk growth also generate input/output operations. Disabling these services can
reduce IOPS (input/output operations per second) and improve performance for any type of desktop
machines.
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These best practices for optimizing Windows apply to most user environments. However, you must
evaluate the effect of disabling each service on your users, applications, and desktops. You might require
certain services to stay active.
For example, disabling Windows Update Service makes sense for instant clones because the OS is
refreshed each time a user logs off, and for View Composer linked clones if you refresh or recompose
regularly.
Windows Services and Tasks That Cause Disk Growth in Instant
Clones and Linked Clones
Certain services and tasks in Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, and Windows 10 can cause the OS disk of an
instant clone or a View Composer linked clone to grow incrementally, even when the machine is idle. If
you disable these services and tasks, you can control the OS disk growth.
Services that affect OS disk growth also generate I/O operations. You can evaluate the benefits of
disabling these services for full clones as well.
Before you disable the Windows services that are shown in Table 3‑9, verify that you took the optimization
steps in Optimize Guest Operating System Performance.
Table 3‑9. Impact of Windows Services and Tasks on OS Disk Growth and IOPS
Service or Task Description
Default
Occurrence or
Startup
Impact on OS
Disk Impact on IOPS
Turn Off This
Service or Task?
Windows
Hibernation
Provides a power-
saving state by
storing open
documents and
programs in a file
before the
computer is
powered off. The
file is reloaded into
memory when the
computer is
restarted, restoring
the state when the
hibernation was
invoked.
Default power-plan
settings disable
hibernation.
High.
By default, the size
of the hibernation
file,
hiberfil.sys, is
the same as the
installed RAM on
the virtual
machine. This
feature affects all
guest operating
systems.
High.
When hibernation
is triggered, the
system writes a
hiberfil.sys file
the size of the
installed RAM.
Yes
Hibernation
provides no benefit
in a virtual
environment.
For instructions, see
Disable Windows
Hibernation in the
Parent Virtual
Machine.
Windows Scheduled
Disk
Defragmentation
Disk
defragmentation is
scheduled as a
background
process.
Once a week High.
Repeated
defragmentation
operations can
increase the size
of the OS disk by
several GB and do
little to make disk
access more
efficient .
High Yes
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Table 3‑9. Impact of Windows Services and Tasks on OS Disk Growth and IOPS (Continued)
Service or Task Description
Default
Occurrence or
Startup
Impact on OS
Disk Impact on IOPS
Turn Off This
Service or Task?
Windows Update
Service
Detects,
downloads, and
installs updates for
Windows and
other programs.
Automatic startup Medium to high.
Causes frequent
writes to the OS
disk because
update checks
occur often. The
impact depends on
the updates that
are downloaded.
Medium to high Yes, for instant
clones, and for View
Composer linked
clones that you
refresh or
recompose
regularly.
Windows Diagnostic
Policy Service
Detects,
troubleshoots, and
resolves problems
in Windows
components. If you
stop this service,
diagnostics no
longer function.
Automatic startup Medium to high.
The service is
triggered on
demand. The write
frequency varies,
depending on
demand.
Small to medium Yes, if you do not
need the diagnostic
tools to function on
the desktops.
Prefetch/Superfetch Stores specific
information about
applications that
you run to help
them start faster.
Always on, unless
it is disabled.
Medium
Causes periodic
updates to its
layout and
database
information and
individual prefetch
files, which are
generated on
demand.
Medium Yes, if application
startup times are
acceptable after you
disable this feature.
Windows Registry
Backup
(RegIdleBackup)
Automatically
backs up the
Windows registry
when the system
is idle.
Every 10 days at
12:00 am
Medium.
Each time this task
runs, it generates
registry backup
files.
Medium. Yes. Both instant
clones and View
Composer linked
clones let you revert
to a snapshot and
achieve the goal of
restoring the
registry.
System Restore Reverts the
Windows system
to a previous,
healthy state.
When Windows
starts up and once
a day thereafter.
Small to medium.
Captures a system
restore point
whenever the
system detects
that it is needed.
No major impact. Yes. Both instant
clones and View
Composer linked
clones let you revert
to a healthy state.
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Table 3‑9. Impact of Windows Services and Tasks on OS Disk Growth and IOPS (Continued)
Service or Task Description
Default
Occurrence or
Startup
Impact on OS
Disk Impact on IOPS
Turn Off This
Service or Task?
Windows Defender Provides anti-
spyware features.
When Windows
starts up. Performs
a quick scan once
a day. Checks for
updates before
each scan.
Medium to high.
Performs definition
updates,
scheduled scans,
and scans that are
started on
demand.
Medium to high. Yes, if other anti-
spyware software is
installed.
Microsoft Feeds
Synchronization
task
(msfeedssync.exe)
Periodically
updates RSS
feeds in Windows
Internet Explorer
Web browsers.
This task updates
RSS feeds that
have automatic
RSS feeds
synchronization
turned on. The
process appears in
Windows Task
Manager only
when Internet
Explorer is
running.
Once a day. Medium.
Affects OS-disk
growth if persistent
disks are not
configured. If
persistent disks
are configured, the
impact is diverted
to the persistent
disks.
Medium Yes, if your users do
not require
automatic RSS feed
updates on their
desktops.
Disable Scheduled Disk Defragmentation on a Windows Parent
Virtual Machine
When you prepare a parent or master image virtual machine for instant clones or View Composer linked
clones, it is recommended that you disable scheduled defragmentation. Windows schedule weekly disk
defragmentations by default. Defragmentation significantly increase the size of a clone's virtual disk and
does not make disk access more efficient for instant clones or View Composer linked clones.
The clones share the parent or master image virtual machine's OS disk but each clone maintains
changes to the file system in its own virtual disk. Any activity, including defragmentation, will increase the
size of each clone's individual virtual disk and therefore increase storage consumption. As a best practice,
defragment the parent or master image virtual machine before you take a snapshot and create the pool.
The following steps apply to Windows 7 and Windows 8. The steps might vary on different Windows
operating systems.
Procedure
1In vSphere Client, select the parent virtual machine and select Open Console.
2Log in as an administrator.
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3Click Start and type defrag in the Search programs and files box.
4In the Programs pane, click Disk Defragmenter.
5In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click Defragment disk.
The Disk Defragmenter consolidates defragmented files on the virtual machine's hard disk.
6In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click Configure schedule.
7Deselect Run on a schedule (recommended) and click OK.
Disable Windows Update
Disabling the Windows Update feature avoids some I/O operations to the file system and can reduce the
growth of an instant clone's or a View Composer linked clone's virtual disk.
Evaluate the needs of your environment before disabling Windows Update. If you disable this feature, you
can manually download the updates to the parent or master image virtual machine and then use the
push-image operation for instant clones or recompose for View Composer linked clones to apply the
updates to all the clones.
The following steps apply to Windows 7 and Windows 8. The steps might vary on different Windows
operating systems.
Procedure
1In vSphere Client, select the parent virtual machine and select Open Console.
2Log in as an administrator.
3Click Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Turn automatic updating on or off.
4In the Important updates menu, select Never check for updates.
5Deselect Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates.
6Deselect Allow all users to install updates on this computer and click OK.
Disable the Diagnostic Policy Service on Windows Virtual
Machines
Disabling the Windows Diagnostic Policy Service avoids some I/O operations to the file system and can
reduce the growth of an instant clone's or a View Composer linked clone's virtual disk.
Do no disable the Windows Diagnostic Policy Service if your users require the diagnostic tools on their
desktops.
The following steps apply to Windows 7 and Windows 8. The steps might vary on different Windows
operating systems.
Procedure
1In vSphere Client, select the parent virtual machine and select Open Console.
2Log in as an administrator.
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3Click Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools.
4Select Services and click Open.
5Double-click Diagnostic Policy Service.
6In the Diagnostic Policy Service Properties (Local Computer) dialog, click Stop.
7In the Startup type menu, select Disabled.
8Click OK.
Disable the Prefetch and Superfetch Features on Windows Virtual
Machines
Disabling the prefetch and superfetch features avoids some I/O operations to the file system and can
reduce the growth of an instant clone's or a View Composer linked clone's virtual disk.
To disable the prefetch and superfetch features, you must edit a Windows registry key and disable the
Prefetch service on the virtual machine.
The following steps apply to Windows 7 and Windows 8. The steps might vary on different Windows
operating systems.
Prerequisites
See the Microsoft TechNet Web site for information on how to use the Windows Registry Editor.
Procedure
1Start the Windows Registry Editor on the local Windows virtual machine.
2Navigate to the registry key called PrefetchParameters.
The registry key is located in the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory
Management\PrefetchParameters.
3Set the EnablePrefetcher and EnableSuperfetch values to 0.
4Click Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools.
5Select Services and click Open.
6Double-click the Superfetch service.
7In the Superfetch Properties (Local Computer) dialog, click Stop.
8In the Startup type menu, select Disabled.
9Click OK.
Disable Windows Registry Backup on Windows Virtual Machines
Disabling the Windows registry backup feature, RegIdleBackup, avoids some I/O operations to the file
system and can reduce the growth of an instant clone's or a View Composer linked clone's virtual disk.
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The following steps apply to Windows 7 and Windows 8. The steps might vary on different Windows
operating systems.
Procedure
1In vSphere Client, select the parent virtual machine and select Open Console.
2Log in as an administrator.
3Click Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools.
4Select Task Scheduler and click Open.
5In the left pane, expand Task Scheduler Library, Microsoft, Windows.
6Double-click Registry and select RegIdleBackup.
7In the Actions pane, click Disable.
Disable the System Restore on Windows Virtual Machines
Disabling the Windows System Restore feature avoids some I/O operations to the file system and can
reduce the growth of an instant clone's or a View Composer linked clone's virtual disk.
With System Restore, you can revert a machine's state to a previous point in time. You can achieve the
same result with the push image operation for instant clones and the recompose or refresh operation for
View Composer linked clones. Furthermore, with instant clones, when a user logs off, the machine is
recreated, making a system restore unnecessary
The following steps apply to Windows 7 and Windows 8. The steps might vary on different Windows
operating systems.
Procedure
1In vSphere Client, select the parent virtual machine and select Open Console.
2Log in as an administrator.
3Click Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools.
4Select Task Scheduler and click Open.
5In the left pane, expand Task Scheduler Library, Microsoft, Windows.
6Double-click SystemRestore and select SR.
7In the Actions pane, click Disable.
Disable Windows Defender on Windows Virtual Machines
Disabling Windows Defender avoids some I/O operations to the file system and can reduce the growth of
an instant clone's or a View Composer linked clone's virtual disk.
If Windows Defender is the only anti-spyware installed on the virtual machine, you might prefer to keep
Windows Defender active on the desktops in your environment.
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The following steps apply to Windows 7 and Windows 8. The steps might vary on different Windows
operating systems.
Procedure
1In vSphere Client, select the parent virtual machine and select Open Console.
2Log in as an administrator.
3Click Start and type Windows Defender in the Search programs and files box.
4Click Tools > Options > Administrator.
5Deselect Use this program and click Save.
Disable Microsoft Feeds Synchronization on Windows Virtual
Machines
Windows Internet Explorer uses the Microsoft Feeds Synchronization task to update RSS feeds in users'
Web browsers. Disabling this task avoids some I/O operations to the file system and can reduce the
growth of an instant clone's or a View Composer linked clone's virtual disk.
Procedure
1In vSphere Client, select the parent virtual machine and select Open Console.
2Log in as an administrator.
3Click Start > Control Panel > Network and Internet > Internet Options.
4Click the Content tab.
5Under Feeds and Web Slices, click Settings.
6Deselect Automatically check feeds and Web Slices for updates and click OK.
7In the Internet Properties dialog, click OK.
Preparing a Parent Virtual Machine
To deploy an instant-clone or a View Composer linked-clone desktop pool, you must first prepare a parent
virtual machine in vCenter Server. This virtual machine is also known as the master image.
nConfigure a Parent Virtual Machine
After creating a virtual machine that you plan to use as a parent, configure the Windows
environment. This virtual machine is also known as a master image.
nActivating Windows on Instant Clones and View Composer Linked Clones
To make sure that Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10, and Windows Server clones are
properly activated when the clones are created, you must use Microsoft volume activation on the
parent virtual machine. The volume-activation technology requires a volume license key.
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nDisable Windows Hibernation in the Parent Virtual Machine
The Windows hibernation feature creates a hidden system file, Hiberfil.sys and uses this file to
store information that is needed for hybrid sleep. Disabling hibernation reduces the size of an instant
clone's or a View Composer linked clone's virtual disk.
nConfigure Local Storage for View Composer Linked Clones
For a View Composer linked-clone desktop pool, you can configure the parent virtual machine to
store virtual-machine swap files on a local datastore. The linked clones' swap files will reside on
local storage.
nRecord the Paging File Size of a View Composer Parent Virtual Machine
When you create a View Composer linked-clone desktop pool, you can redirect the clones' paging
and temp files to a separate disk. You must configure this disk to be larger than the size of the
paging file on the parent virtual machine.
nIncrease the Timeout Limit for ClonePrep and QuickPrep Customization Scripts
ClonePrep and QuickPrep post-synchronization or power-off scripts have a timeout limit of 20
seconds. You can increase this limit by changing the ExecScriptTimeout Windows registry value
on the parent virtual machine.
Configure a Parent Virtual Machine
After creating a virtual machine that you plan to use as a parent, configure the Windows environment.
This virtual machine is also known as a master image.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you prepared a virtual machine to use for deploying remote desktops. See Creating a
Virtual Machine for Cloning.
The parent virtual machine, can either belong to the same Active Directory domain as the domain that
the desktop machines will join or be a member of a workgroup.
nVerify that the virtual machine was not converted from an instant clone or a View Composer linked
clone.
Important You also cannot use an instant clone or a View Composer linked clones as a parent
virtual machine.
nWhen you install Horizon Agent on the parent virtual machine, select the VMware Horizon Instant
Clone Agent option for instant clones or the VMware Horizon View Composer Agent option. See
Install Horizon Agent on a Virtual Machine.
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To update Horizon Agent in a large environment, you can use standard Windows update mechanisms
such as Altiris, SMS, LanDesk, BMC, or other systems management software. You can also use the
push image or the recompose operation to update Horizon Agent.
Note For View Composer linked clones, do not change the log on account for the VMware View
Composer Guest Agent Server service in a parent virtual machine. By default, this is the Local
System account. If you change this account, the linked clones created from the parent will not start.
nTo deploy Windows machines, configure a volume license key and activate the parent virtual
machine's operating system with volume activation. See Activating Windows on Instant Clones and
View Composer Linked Clones.
nVerify that you followed the best practices for optimizing the operating system. See Optimizing
Windows for Instant-Clone and View Composer Linked-Clone Virtual Machines.
nFamiliarize yourself with the procedure for disabling searching Windows Update for device drivers.
See the Microsoft Technet article, "Disable Searching Windows Update for Device Drivers" at
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc730606(v=ws.10).aspx.
Procedure
nRemove the DHCP lease on the parent virtual machine to avoid copying a leased IP address to the
linked clones in the pool.
a On the parent virtual machine, open a command prompt.
b Type the ipconfig /release command.
nVerify that the system disk contains a single volume.
You cannot deploy linked clones from a parent virtual machine that contains more than one volume.
Multiple virtual disks are supported.
Note For View Composer linked clones, if the parent virtual machine contains multiple virtual disks,
when you create a desktop pool, do not select a drive letter for the View Composer persistent disk or
disposable data disk that already exists on the parent virtual machine or that conflicts with a drive
letter that is used for a network-mounted drive.
nVerify that the virtual machine does not contain an independent disk.
An independent disk is excluded when you take a snapshot of the virtual machine. Clones are based
on a snapshot and therefore will not contain the independent disk.
nFor View Composer linked clones, if you plan to configure disposable data disks when you create
linked-clone machines, remove default user TEMP and TMP variables from the parent virtual machine.
You can also remove the pagefile.sys file to avoid duplicating the file on all the linked clones. If you
leave the pagefile.sys file on the parent virtual machine, a read-only version of the file is inherited
by the linked clones, while a second version of the file is used on the disposable data disk.
nDisable the hibernation option to reduce the size of each clone's virtual disk.
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nBefore you take a snapshot of the parent virtual machine, disable searching Windows Update for
device drivers.
This Windows feature can interfere with the customization process. As each clone is customized,
Windows might search for the best drivers on the Internet for that clone, resulting in delays.
nIn vSphere Client, disable the vApp Options setting on the parent virtual machine.
nOn Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2012 R2 machines, disable the
scheduled maintenance task that recovers disk space by removing unused features.
For example: Schtasks.exe /change /disable /tn
"\Microsoft\Windows\AppxDeploymentClient\Pre-staged app cleanup"
For example, in the case of View Composer linked clones, this maintenance task can, remove the
Sysprep customization script after the linked clones are created, which would cause subsequent
recompose operations to fail with customization operation timeout errors. For more information, see
the Microsoft KB article available at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2928948.
What to do next
Use vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client to take a snapshot of the parent virtual machine in its
powered-down state. This snapshot is provides the base image for the clones.
Important Before you take a snapshot, shut down the parent virtual machine.
Activating Windows on Instant Clones and View Composer Linked
Clones
To make sure that Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10, and Windows Server clones are properly
activated when the clones are created, you must use Microsoft volume activation on the parent virtual
machine. The volume-activation technology requires a volume license key.
To activate Windows with volume activation, you use Key Management Service (KMS), which requires a
KMS license key. See your Microsoft dealer to acquire a volume license key and configure volume
activation.
Note Multiple Activation Key (MAK) licensing is not supported.
Before you create an instant-clone or View Composer linked-clone desktop pool, you must use volume
activation to activate Windows on the parent virtual machine.
The following steps describe how activation takes place:
1 Invoke a script to remove the existing license.
2 Restart Windows.
3 Invoke a script that uses KMS licensing to activate Windows.
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KMS treats each activated clone as a computer with a newly issued license.
Note If you set up a new KMS server and use QuickPrep to create linked-clone desktop pools, the KMS
client count might not increment and the linked-clones might not be able to activate Windows. For more
information, see the VMware Knowledge Base (KB) article http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2048742.
Disable Windows Hibernation in the Parent Virtual Machine
The Windows hibernation feature creates a hidden system file, Hiberfil.sys and uses this file to store
information that is needed for hybrid sleep. Disabling hibernation reduces the size of an instant clone's or
a View Composer linked clone's virtual disk.
Caution When you make hibernation unavailable, hybrid sleep does not work. Users can lose data if a
power loss occurs.
Procedure
1In vSphere Client, select the parent virtual machine and select Open Console.
2Log in as an administrator.
3Disable the hibernation option.
a Click Start and type cmd in the Start Search box.
b In the search results list, right-click Command Prompt and click Run as Administrator.
c At the User Account Control prompt, click Continue.
d At the command prompt, type powercfg.exe /hibernate off and press Enter.
e Type exit and press Enter.
Configure Local Storage for View Composer Linked Clones
For a View Composer linked-clone desktop pool, you can configure the parent virtual machine to store
virtual-machine swap files on a local datastore. The linked clones' swap files will reside on local storage.
In this procedure, you configure local storage for the virtual-machine swap files, not the paging and temp
files in the guest OS. When you create a linked-clone pool, you also can redirect guest OS paging and
temp files to a separate disk. See Worksheet for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool.
Procedure
1Configure a swapfile datastore on the ESXi host or cluster on which you will deploy the linked-clone
pool.
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2When you create the parent virtual machine in vCenter Server, store the virtual-machine swap files on
the swapfile datastore on the local ESXi host or cluster:
a In vSphere Client, select the parent virtual machine.
b Click Edit Settings and click the Options tab.
c Click Swapfile location and click Store in the host's swapfile datastore.
For detailed instructions, see the VMware vSphere documentation.
Record the Paging File Size of a View Composer Parent Virtual
Machine
When you create a View Composer linked-clone desktop pool, you can redirect the clones' paging and
temp files to a separate disk. You must configure this disk to be larger than the size of the paging file on
the parent virtual machine.
When a linked clone that is configured with a separate disk for the disposable files is powered off, the disk
is recreated. This feature can slow the growth in the size of a linked clone. However, this feature can work
only if you configure the disposable-file disk to be large enough to hold the clone's paging file.
Before you can configure the disposable-file disk, record the maximum paging-file size in the parent
virtual machine. The linked clones have the same paging-file size as the parent virtual machine.
As a best practice, remove the pagefile.sys file from the parent virtual machine before you take a
snapshot, to avoid duplicating the file on all the linked clones. See Configure a Parent Virtual Machine.
Note This feature is not that same as configuring local storage for the virtual-machine swap files. See
Configure Local Storage for View Composer Linked Clones.
Procedure
1In vSphere Client, right-click the parent virtual machine and click Open Console.
2Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > System.
3Click the Advanced tab.
4In the Performance pane, click Settings.
5Click the Advanced tab.
6In the Virtual memory pane, click Change.
The Virtual Memory page appears.
7Set the paging file size to a larger value than the size of the memory that is assigned to the virtual
machine.
Important If the Maximum size (MB) setting is smaller than the virtual-machine memory size, type
a larger value and save the new value.
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8Keep a record of the Maximum size (MB) setting that is configured in the Paging file size for selected
drive pane.
What to do next
When you configure a linked-clone pool from this parent virtual machine, configure a disposable-file disk
that is larger than the paging-file size.
Increase the Timeout Limit for ClonePrep and QuickPrep
Customization Scripts
ClonePrep and QuickPrep post-synchronization or power-off scripts have a timeout limit of 20 seconds.
You can increase this limit by changing the ExecScriptTimeout Windows registry value on the parent
virtual machine.
Instead of increasing the timeout limit you can also use your customization script to launch another script
or process that performs the long-running task.
Note Most QuickPrep customization scripts can finish running within the 20-second limit. Test your
scripts before you increase the limit.
Procedure
1On the parent virtual machine, start the Windows Registry Editor.
a Select Start > Command Prompt.
b At the command prompt, type regedit.
2In the Windows registry, locate the vmware-viewcomposer-ga registry key.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\vmware-viewcomposer-ga
3Click Edit and modify the registry value.
Value Name: ExecScriptTimeout
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value unit: milliseconds
The default value is 20000 milliseconds.
Creating Virtual Machine Templates
You must create a virtual machine template before you can create an automated pool that contains full
virtual machines.
A virtual machine template is a master copy of a virtual machine that can be used to create and provision
new virtual machines. Typically, a template includes an installed guest operating system and a set of
applications.
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You create virtual machine templates in vSphere Client. You can create a virtual machine template from a
previously configured virtual machine, or you can convert a previously configured virtual machine to a
virtual machine template.
See the vSphere Basic System Administration guide for information on using vSphere Client to create
virtual machine templates. See Automated Pools That Contain Full Virtual Machines for information on
creating automated pools.
Note A virtual machine template is not for creating an instant-clone or a View Composer linked-clone
desktop pool.
Creating Customization Specifications
When you customize a clone using Sysprep, you need to provide a customization specification.
Sysprep is available for View Composer linked-clone desktop pools and automated full-clone desktop
pools, but not instant-clone desktop pools. You create customization specifications by using the
Customization Specification wizard in vSphere. See the vSphere Virtual Machine Administration
document for information on using the Customization Specification wizard.
It is recommended that you test a customization specification in vSphere before you use it to create a
desktop pool. When you use a Sysprep customization specification to join a Windows desktop to a
domain, you must use the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the Active Directory domain. You cannot
use the NetBIOS name.
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Creating Instant-Clone Desktop
Pools 4
To provide users access to instant-clone desktops, you must create an instant-clone desktop pool.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nInstant-Clone Desktop Pools
nImage Publishing and Rebalancing an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool
nAdd an Instant-Clone Domain Administrator
nWorksheet for Creating an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool
nCreate an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool
nClonePrep Guest Customization
nChange the Image of an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool
nMonitor a Push-Image Operation
nReschedule or Cancel a Push-Image Operation
nPerform Maintenance on Instant-Clone Hosts
nInstant-Clone Maintenance Utilities
Instant-Clone Desktop Pools
An instant-clone desktop pool is an automated desktop pool. vCenter Server creates the desktop VMs
based on the settings that you specify when you create the pool.
Similar to View Composer linked clones, an instant-clone desktop pool is based on a parent VM in
vCenter Server, known as the master image. For instant-clone desktops, a parent VM is an internal VM
that Horizon 7 creates and maintains, which is based on the master image. You cannot modify this
internal parent VM. However, you can make changes to the master image.
Instant clones share a virtual disk of the master image and therefore consume less storage than full VMs.
In addition, instant clones share the memory of the master image. Instant clones are created using the
vmFork technology. An instant-clone desktop pool has the following key characteristics:
nThe provisioning of instant clones is significantly faster than View Composer linked clones.
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nInstant clones are always created in a powered-on state, ready for users to connect to. Guest
customization and joining the Active Directory domain are completed as part of the initial power-on
workflow.
nFor dedicated instant-clone desktop pools, users are assigned a particular remote desktop and return
to the same desktop at each login. When a user logs out, a resync operation on the master image
retains the VM name and the Mac IP address of the VM after logoff.
nFor floating instant-clone desktop pools, users are assigned random desktops from the pool. When a
user logs out, the desktop VM is deleted. New clones are created according to the provisioning policy,
which can be on-demand or up-front.
nWith the push-image operation, you can re-create the pool from any snapshot of any master image.
You can use a push image to roll out operating system and application patches.
nWhen clones are created, Horizon 7 selects a datastore to achieve the best distribution of the clones
across the datastores. No manual rebalancing is necessary.
nView storage accelerator is automatically enabled.
nTransparent page sharing is automatically enabled.
nInstant Clones require static port binding with fixed port allocation. Do not change the port binding to
ephemeral. If you get an error message with static port binding, see the VMware Knowledge Base
(KB) article http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2150925.
nInstant clones and Storage vMotion are compatible. When you create an instant-clone desktop pool
on a Storage DRS datastore, the Storage DRS cluster does not appear in the list in the desktop pool
creation wizard. However, you can select individual Storage DRS datastores.
Because Horizon 7 can create instant clones quickly, you do not need to provision desktops up front or
have many ready desktops. Compared with View Composer linked clones, instant clones can make the
task of managing large desktop pools easier and also reduce the amount of hardware resources that is
required.
Instant clones have the following compatibility requirements:
nvSphere 6.0 Update 1 or later.
nVirtual machine hardware version 11 or later.
As a best practice, configure distributed virtual switches in the vSphere environment. It is mandatory to
configure distributed virtual switches in the vSphere environment for dedicated instant clones.
In Horizon 7, instant clones have the following restrictions:
nInstant-clone desktops cannot have persistent disks. Users can use network share or VMware App
Volumes to store persistent user data. For more information about App Volumes, see
https://www.vmware.com/products/appvolumes.
nVirtual Volumes and VAAI (vStorage APIs for Array Integration) native NFS snapshots are not
supported.
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nSysprep and Quickprep are not available for desktop customization. Use ClonePrep, which is
specifically designed for instant clones.
nWindows 8 or Windows 8.1 are not supported.
nIPv6 is not supported.
nPersona Management is not available.
nYou cannot specify a minimum number of ready (provisioned) machines during instant-clone
maintenance operations. This feature is not needed because the high speed of creating instant
clones means that some desktops are always available even during maintenance operations.
The disk space reclamation feature that is available to View Composer linked clones is not needed
because instant clones are refreshed when users log out. For instant clones, reclaiming unused disk
space in a VM does not have a significant impact on storage consumption.
Image Publishing and Rebalancing an Instant-Clone
Desktop Pool
The clones in an instant-clone desktop pool are based on the same image. When an instant clone is
created, the desktop pool are rebalanced across datastores automatically.
An image is a snapshot of a parent VM in vCenter Server. Publishing an image is a process by which
internal VMs needed for instant cloning are created. This process only happens once per image and may
take some time. Creating an instant-clone desktop pool involves the following operations:
1 Horizon 7 publishes the image that you select. In vCenter Server, four folders
(ClonePrepInternalTemplateFolder, ClonePrepParentVmFolder,
ClonePrepReplicaVmFolder, and ClonePrepResyncVmFolder) are created if they do not exist, and
some internal VMs that are required for cloning are created. In Horizon Administrator, you can see the
progress of this operation on the Summary tab of the desktop pool. During publishing, the Pending
Image pane shows the name and state of the image.
Note Do not tamper with the four folders or the internal VMs that they contain. Otherwise, errors
might occur. The internal VMs are removed when they are no longer needed. Normally the VMs are
removed within 5 minutes of pool deletion or a push-image operation. However, sometimes the
removal can take up to 30 minutes. If there are no internal VMs in all four folders, these folders are
unprotected and you can delete these folders.
2 The clones are created. This process is fast. During this process, the Current Image pane in Horizon
Administrator shows the name and state of the image.
After the pool is created, you can change the image through the push-image operation. As with the
creation of a pool, the new image is first published. Then the clones are recreated.
If you edit a pool to add or remove datastores, rebalancing of the VMs happens automatically when a new
clone is created. If you want rebalancing to happen faster, take the following actions:
nIf you remove a datastore, manually remove the desktops on that datastore so that the new desktops
are created on the remaining datastores.
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nIf you add a datastore, manually remove some desktops from the original datastores so that the new
desktops are created on the new datastore. You can also remove all desktops or simply do a push
image with the same image so that when the clones are recreated, they are evenly distributed across
the datastores.
Add an Instant-Clone Domain Administrator
Before you create an instant-clone desktop pool, you must add an instant-clone domain administrator to
Horizon 7.
The instant-clone domain administrator must have certain Active Directory domain privileges.
For more information, see "Create a User Account for Instant-Clone Operations" in the View Installation
document.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select View Configuration > Instant Clone Domain Admins.
2Click Add.
3Enter the login name and password for of the instant-clone domain administrator.
Worksheet for Creating an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool
When you create an instant-clone desktop pool, the Add Desktop Pool wizard prompts you to configure
certain options. You can use this worksheet to record your configuration options before you create the
pool.
Before creating an instant-clone desktop pool, take a snapshot of the parent VM in vCenter Server. You
must shut down the parent VM in vCenter Server before taking the snapshot. The snapshot is the master
image for the clones in vCenter Server.
Note You cannot create an instant-clone desktop pool from a VM template.
Table 4‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool
Option Description
Fill In Your Value
Here
User assignment Select Floating or Dedicated.
In a floating user assignment, users are assigned random desktops from the
pool.
In a dedicated user assignment, each user is assigned a particular remote
desktop and returns to the same desktop at each login. Between each login and
logout, the computer name and MAC address is retained for the same desktop.
Any other changes that the user makes to the desktop are not preserved.
vCenter Server Select Instant clones and select the vCenter Server that manages the instant-
clone VMs.
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Table 4‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description
Fill In Your Value
Here
Desktop Pool ID The unique name that identifies the pool in Horizon Administrator.
If you have multiple Connection Server configurations, make sure that another
Connection Server configuration does not use the same pool ID. A Connection
Server configuration can consist of a single Connection Server or multiple
Connection Servers
Display name The pool name that users see when they log in from a client. If you do not
specify a name, the pool ID is used.
Access group Select an access group for the pool, or leave the pool in the default root access
group.
If you use an access group, you can delegate managing the pool to an
administrator who has a specific role. For details, see the role-based delegated
administration chapter in the View Administration document.
Note Access groups are different from vCenter Server folders that store
desktop VMs. You select a vCenter Server folder later in the wizard.
State If set to Enabled, the pool is ready for use after provisioning. If set to Disabled,
the pool is not available to users. During provisioning, if you disable the pool,
provisioning stops.
Connection Server
restrictions
You can restrict access to the pool to certain Connection Servers by clicking
Browse and selecting one or more Connection Servers.
If you intend to provide access to desktops through VMware Identity Manager,
and you configure Connection Server restrictions, the VMware Identity Manager
app might display desktops to users when those desktops are actually restricted.
VMware Identity Manager users will be unable to launch these desktops.
Category Folder Specifies the name of the category folder that contains a Start menu shortcut for
the desktop pool entitlement on Windows client devices. For more information,
see Configuring Start Menu Shortcuts for Desktop and Application Pools.
Automatically logoff after
disconnect
nImmediately. Users are logged off when they disconnect.
nNever. Users are never logged off.
nAfter. The time after which users are logged off when they disconnect. Type
the duration in minutes.
The logoff time applies to future disconnections. If a desktop session is
already disconnected when you set a logoff time, the logoff duration for that
user starts when you set the logoff time, not when the session was originally
disconnected. For example, if you set this value to 5 minutes, and a session
was disconnected 10 minutes earlier, Horizon 7 will log off that session 5
minutes after you set the value.
Allow user to initiate
separate sessions from
different client devices
With this option selected, a user connecting to the same desktop pool from
different client devices gets different desktop sessions. The user can only
reconnect to an existing session from the same client device. When this setting
is not selected, users are always reconnected to their existing session no matter
which client device is used.
Default display protocol Select the default display protocol. The choices are Microsoft RDP, PCoIP, and
VMware Blast.
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Table 4‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description
Fill In Your Value
Here
Allow users to choose
protocol
Specify whether users can choose display protocols other than the default.
Do not allow users to choose a display protocol.
3D Renderer Select 3D graphics rendering for desktops.
3D rendering is supported on Windows 7 or later guests running on VMs with
virtual hardware version 8 or later. The hardware-based renderer is supported (at
minimum) on virtual hardware version 9 in a vSphere 5.1 environment. The
software renderer is supported (at minimum) on virtual hardware version 8 in a
vSphere 5.0 environment.
On ESXi 5.0 hosts, the renderer allows a maximum VRAM size of 128MB. On
ESXi 5.1 and later hosts, the maximum VRAM size is 512MB. On hardware
version 11 (HWv11) virtual machines in vSphere 6.0, the VRAM value (video
memory) has changed. Select the Manage Using vSphere Client option and
configure video memory for these machines in vSphere Web Client. For details,
see "Configuring 3D Graphics" in the vSphere Virtual Machine Administration
guide.
3D rendering is disabled if you select Microsoft RDP as the default display
protocol and do not allow users to choose a display protocol.
nNVIDIA GRID vGPU. 3D rendering is enabled for NVIDIA GRID vGPU. The
ESXi host reserves GPU hardware resources on a first-come, first-served
basis as virtual machines are powered on. See Preparing for NVIDIA GRID
vGPU Capabilities. You cannot use vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler
(DRS) when you select this option.
To use NVIDIA GRID vGPU for an instant-clone desktop pool, the
recommendation is to select VMware Blast as a protocol and not allow the
user to choose their own display protocols.
nDisabled. 3D rendering is inactive. Default is disabled.
HTML Access Select Enabled to allow users to connect to remote desktops from a Web
browser. For more information about this feature, see Using HTML Access,
available from
https://www.vmware.com/support/viewclients/doc/viewclients_pubs.html.
To use HTML Access with VMware Identity Manager, you must pair Connection
Server with a SAML authentication server, as described in the View
Administration document. VMware Identity Manager must be installed and
configured for use with Connection Server.
Allow Session
Collaboration
Select Enabled to allow users of the desktop pool to invite other users to join
their remote desktop sessions. Session owners and session collaborators must
use the VMware Blast protocol.
Adobe Flash quality Select the quality of Adobe Flash content on Web pages.
nDo not control. The Web page settings determine the quality.
nLow. This setting consumes the least amount of bandwidth. If no quality
level is specified, this is the default level.
nMedium. This setting consumes a moderate amount of bandwidth.
nHigh. This setting consumes the most amount of bandwidth.
For more information, see Adobe Flash Quality and Throttling.
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Table 4‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description
Fill In Your Value
Here
Adobe Flash throttling Select the frame rate of Adobe Flash movies. If you enable this setting, you can
reduce or increase the number of frames displayed per second by selecting the
throttling level.
nDisabled. No throttling is performed.
nConservative. Timer interval is 100 milliseconds. This setting results in the
lowest number of dropped frames.
nModerate. Timer interval is 500 milliseconds.
nAggressive. Timer interval is 2500 milliseconds. This setting results in the
highest number of dropped frames.
For more information, see Adobe Flash Quality and Throttling.
Stop provisioning on error Specify whether Horizon 7 stops provisioning desktop VMs if an error occurs and
prevents the error from affecting multiple VMs.
Naming pattern Specify a pattern that Horizon 7 uses as a prefix in all the desktop VM names,
followed by a unique number.
For more information, see Using a Naming Pattern for Automated Desktop
Pools.
Max number of machines Specify the total number of desktop VMs in the pool.
Number of spare
(powered on) machines
Specify the number of desktop VMs to keep available to users. For details, see
Naming Machines Manually or Providing a Naming Pattern.
Provision machines on
demand
Min number of machines
Provision all machines up
front
Specify whether to provision all desktop VMs when the pool is created or to
provision the VMs when they are needed.
nProvision all machines up front. When the pool is created, Horizon 7
provisions the number of VMs you specify in Max number of machines.
nProvision machines on demand. When the pool is created, Horizon 7
creates the number of VMs based on the Min number of machines value or
the Number of spare (powered on) machines value, whichever is higher.
Additional VMs are created to maintain this minimum number of available
VMs as users connect to desktops.
Select separate
datastores for replica and
OS disks
Specify whether to store the replica and OS disks on a datastore that is different
from the datastores that the instant clones are on.
If you select this option, you can select the options to select one or more instant-
clone datastores or replica disk datastores.
For more information, see Storing Replicas and Clones on Separate Datastores
for Instant Clones and View Composer Linked Clones.
Parent VM in vCenter Select the parent VM in vCenter Server for the pool.
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Table 4‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description
Fill In Your Value
Here
Snapshot (default image) You can specify the number of monitors and resolution for your instant-clone
desktop pool by setting those parameters in the parent VM and taking a
snapshot. The required vRAM size is calculated based on your specifications.
Select the snapshot of the parent VM to use as the master image for the pool.
The instant-clone desktop pool that is created is based on the snapshot and
inherits those memory settings. For more information about configuring video
memory settings in vSphere Client, see the vSphere Single Host Management
guide in the vSphere documentation. For more information about changing the
resolution for your instant-clone desktop pool, see the VMware Knowledge Base
(KB) article http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2151745.
The snapshot lists the following details:
nNumber of monitors
nVRAM size
nResolution
VM folder location Select the folder in vCenter Server for the desktop VMs.
Cluster Select the vCenter Server cluster for the desktop VMs.
Resource pool Select the vCenter Server resource pool for the desktop VMs.
Datastores Select one or more datastores for the desktop VMs.
The Select Instant Clone Datastores window provides high-level guidelines for
estimating the pool's storage requirements. These guidelines help you determine
which datastores are large enough to store the clones. The Storage Overcommit
value is always set to Unbounded and is not configurable.
Note Instant clones and Storage vMotion are compatible. When you create an
instant-clone desktop pool on a Storage DRS datastore, the Storage DRS cluster
does not appear in the list of datastores. However, you can select individual
Storage DRS datastores.
Replica disk datastores Select one or more replica disk datastores on which to store the instant-clones.
This option appears if you select separate datastores for replica and OS disks.
A table on the Select Replica Disk Datastores page of the Add Farm wizard
provides high-level guidelines for estimate the farm's storage requirements.
These guidelines can help you determine which replica disk datastores are
enough to store the instant-clones.
Networks Select the networks to use for the instant-clone desktop pool. You can select
multiple vLAN networks to create a larger instant-clone desktop pool. The default
setting uses the network from the current master image.
A table on the Select Networks wizard provides the networks, ports, and port
bindings that are available to use. To use multiple networks, you must unselect
Use network from current parent VM and then select the networks to use with
the instant-clone farm.
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Table 4‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description
Fill In Your Value
Here
vGPU Profile The vGPU profile for the pool is the vGPU profile of the snapshot you selected.
The pool inherits this profile. This profile cannot be edited during the pool
creation process.
Mixed vGPU profiles on a single ESXi cluster are not supported.
After a pool is provisioned, you cannot edit the vGPU profile. To change the
vGPU profile, you must delete the pool and create a new pool with the desired
vGPU profile.
Domain Select an Active Directory domain. The drop-down list shows the domains that
you specify when you configure instant-clone domain administrators. See Add an
Instant-Clone Domain Administrator
AD container Specify the Active Directory container's relative distinguished name.
For example: CN=Computers
In the Add Desktop Pool window, you can browse the Active Directory tree for
the container. You can also copy, paste, or enter the path for the AD tree for the
container.
Allow reuse of pre-existing
computer accounts
Select this option to use existing computer accounts in Active Directory when the
virtual machine names of new instant clones match the existing computer
account names.
When an instant clone is created, if an existing AD computer account name
matches the instant-clone virtual machine name, Horizon 7 uses the existing
computer account after resetting the password. Otherwise, a new computer
account is created. When the instant clone is deleted, Horizon 7 does not delete
the corresponding computer accounts.
The existing computer accounts must be located in the Active Directory container
that you specify with the AD container setting.
When this option is disabled, a new AD computer account is created when
Horizon 7 creates an instant clone. If an existing computer account is found,
Horizon 7 uses the existing computer account after resetting the password.
When the instant clone is deleted, Horizon 7 deletes the corresponding computer
account. This option is disabled by default.
Power-off script Specify the path name of a script to run on the desktop VMs and the script
parameters before the VMs are powered off.
Post-synchronization
script
Specify the path name of a script to run on the desktop VMs and the script
parameters after the VMs are created.
Create an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool
The Add Desktop Pool wizards guides you through the steps of creating an instant-clone desktop pool.
Prerequisites
nVerify that the virtual switch that the instant-clone VMs connect to has enough ports to support the
expected number of VMs. Each network card on a VM requires one port.
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nVerify that you have the master image ready. For more information, see Chapter 3 Creating and
Preparing a Virtual Machine for Cloning.
nGather the configuration information for the pool. See Worksheet for Creating an Instant-Clone
Desktop Pool.
nVerify that you added an instant-clone domain administrator in Horizon Administrator. See Add an
Instant-Clone Domain Administrator.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Click Add.
3Select Automated Desktop Pool.
4On the vCenter Server page, select Instant clones.
5Follow the prompts to create the pool.
Use the configuration information you gathered in the worksheet. You can go directly back to any
wizard page by clicking the page name in the navigation pane.
In Horizon Administrator, you can view the desktop VMs as they are added to the pool by selecting
Catalog > Desktop Pools.
After you create the pool, do not delete the master image or remove it from the vCenter Server inventory
as long as the pool exists. If you remove the master image VM from the vCenter Server inventory by
mistake, you must add it back and then do a push image using the current image.
What to do next
Entitle users to access the pool. See Add Entitlements to a Desktop or Application Pool.
ClonePrep Guest Customization
ClonePrep customizes instant clones during the creation process.
ClonePrep ensures that all instant clones join an Active Directory domain. The clones have the same
computer security identifiers (SIDs) as the master image. ClonePrep also preserves the globally unique
identifiers (GUIDs) of applications, although some applications might generate a new GUID during
customization.
When you add an instant-clone desktop pool, you can specify a script to run immediately after a clone is
created and another script to run before the clone is powered off.
How ClonePrep Runs Scripts
ClonePrep uses the Windows CreateProcess API to run scripts. Your script can invoke any process that
can be created with the CreateProcess API. For example, cmd, vbscript, exe, and batch-file processes
work with the API.
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Specifically, ClonePrep passes the path of the script as the second parameter to the CreateProcess API
and sets the first parameter to NULL. For example, if the script path is c:\myscript.cmd, the call to
CreateProcess is CreateProcess(NULL,c:\myscript.cmd,...).
Providing Paths to ClonePrep Scripts
You can specify the scripts when you create or edit the desktop pool. The scripts must reside on the
master image. You cannot use a UNC path to a network share.
If you use a scripting language that needs an interpreter to run the script, the script path must start with
the interpreter executable. For example, instead of specifying C:\script\myvb.vbs, you must specify
C:\windows\system32\cscript.exe c:\script\myvb.vbs.
Important Put the ClonePrep customization scripts in a secure folder to prevent unauthorized access.
ClonePrep Script Timeout Limit
By default, ClonePrep terminates a script if the execution takes longer than 20 seconds. You can increase
this timeout limit. For details, see Increase the Timeout Limit for ClonePrep and QuickPrep Customization
Scripts.
Alternatively, you can specify a script that runs another script or process that takes a long time to run.
ClonePrep Script Account
ClonePrep runs the scripts using the same account that the VMware Horizon Instant Clone Agent service
uses. By default, this account is Local System. Do not change this login account. If you do, the clones will
fail to start.
ClonePrep Process Privileges
For security reasons, certain Windows operating system privileges are removed from the
VMware Horizon Instant Clone Agent process that runs ClonePrep customization scripts. The scripts
cannot perform actions that require those privileges.
The process that runs ClonePrep scripts do not have the following privileges:
nSeCreateTokenPrivilege
nSeTakeOwnershipPrivilege
nSeSecurityPrivilege
nSeSystemEnvironmentPrivilege
nSeLoadDriverPrivilege
nSeSystemtimePrivilege
nSeUndockPrivilege
nSeManageVolumePrivilege
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nSeLockMemoryPrivilege
nSeIncreaseBasePriorityPrivilege
nSeCreatePermanentPrivilege
nSeDebugPrivilege
nSeAuditPrivilege
ClonePrep Script Logs
ClonePrep writes messages to a log file. The log file is C:\Windows\Temp\vmware-viewcomposer-ga-
new.log.
Change the Image of an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool
You can change the image of an instant-clone desktop pool to push out changes or to revert to a previous
image. You can select any snapshot from any virtual machine to be the new image.
Once a pool is provisioned, you cannot edit the vGPU profile by editing the pool or changing the image of
the pool. When you push a new image to an instant clone pool, you must verify that the new image has
the same vGPU profile as the previous image, or your push image operation might fail. To change the
vGPU profile of an instant clone pool, you must delete the pool and create a new pool with the desired
vGPU profile.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools
2Double-click the pool ID.
3Select Push Image > Schedule.
The Schedule Push Image window opens.
4Follow the prompts.
You can schedule the task to start immediately or sometime in the future. For clones with user
sessions, you can specify whether to force the users to log out or to wait. When the users log out,
Horizon 7 recreates the clones.
5On the Ready to Complete page, click Show Details to see the list of desktops in the pool.
After you initiate this operation, publishing of the new image starts immediately. Recreating the clones
starts at the time that you specify in the Schedule Push Image wizard.
Monitor a Push-Image Operation
You can monitor the progress of a push-image operation on an instant-clone desktop pool in Horizon
Administrator.
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Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Double-click the pool ID.
The Summary tab shows the current image and pending image information.
3Click the Tasks tab.
The list of tasks that are associated with the push-image operation appears.
Reschedule or Cancel a Push-Image Operation
You can reschedule or cancel a push-image operation on an instant-clone desktop pool in Horizon
Administrator.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Double-click the pool ID.
The Summary tab shows the current image and pending image information.
3Select Push Image > Reschedule or Push Image > Cancel.
4Follow the prompts.
If you cancel the push-image operation while clone creation is in progress, the clones that have the new
image remain in the pool and the pool has a mix of clones, some with the new image and the others with
the old image. To ensure that all the clones have the same image, you can remove all the clones.
Horizon 7 recreates the clones with the same image.
Perform Maintenance on Instant-Clone Hosts
You can performance maintenance on hosts where instant clones reside by putting the ESXi hosts into
maintenance mode. You can use vSphere Web Client to put the ESXi host into maintenance mode. By
default, the instant clones on these hosts will be vMotioned to another host in the cluster. However, the
master image, which is the parent VM in vCenter Server must be deleted before the host can enter
maintenance mode.
Starting with Horizon 7 version 7.1, when you put the ESXi host into maintenance mode, Horizon 7 will
automatically delete the master image so that the host can go into maintenance mode without any
manual intervention.
In releases earlier than Horizon 7 version 7.1, you have to manually delete the master image on the host.
To do this, you can use the instant-clone maintenance utilities. If you are using VMware Update Manager
(VUM), you must use the instant-clone maintenance utilities to delete the master image before you can
patch the ESXi hosts, regardless of the Horizon 7 version.
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To use the instant-clone utilities, see Instant-Clone Maintenance Utilities.
Note After the ESXi host is put into maintenance, you must wait approximately five minutes before
performing any actions on instant clones after the ESXi host performs entering or exiting operations.
Procedure
1Log in to vSphere Web Client.
2Select the ESXi host that you want to put into maintenance and clickMaintenance Mode > Enter
Maintenance Mode.
Instant-Clone Maintenance Utilities
On the Connection Server are two utilities that you can use for the maintenance of instant-clone VMs in
vCenter Server and the clusters that the VMs are in.
The utilities are IcMaint.cmd and IcUnprotect.cmd and are located in C:\Program
Files\VMware\VMware View\Server\tools\bin.
IcMaint.cmd
This command deletes the master images, which are the parent VMs in vCenter Server from the ESXi
host so that the host can be put into maintenance mode. The host is not automatically put into
maintenance mode. To perform maintenance on the host, the vCenter server administrator must manually
put the host into maintenance mode.
Syntax:
IcMaint.cmd -vc hostname_or_IP_address -uid user_ID -password password -hostName ESXi_hostname -
maintenance ON|OFF
Parameters:
n-vc host name or IP address of vCenter Server
n-uid vCenter Server user ID
n-password vCenter Server user password
n-hostname ESXi host name
n-maintenance ON|OFF
This parameter specifies whether the host is available for hosting the master image VM.
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After the command is run on the host, the InstantClone.Maintenance annotation value is set to 1 and
the master image VMs are deleted. After the master image VMs are deleted, the
InstantClone.Maintenance annotation value is set to 2 and no more master image VMs are created
on the host. When you run this command again with -maintenanceOFF, the
InstantClone.Maintenance annotation value is cleared for the host to become available for hosting
master image VMs.
All the parameters are required.
IcUnprotect.cmd
After ClonePrep creates folders and VMs, you can use this utility to unprotect folders and VMs, delete
VMs, and detect VMs whose master image or snapshot is deleted. ClonePrep is the mechanism that
customizes instant clones during the creation process.
Syntax:
IcUnprotect.cmd -vc hostname_or_IP_address -uid user_ID -password password[-includeFolders][-
skipCertVeri]
Parameters:
n-action
You can use the following options for this parameter:
nunprotect. Unprotect internal VMs.
ndelete. Delete internal VMs.
ndetect. Detect and list internal VMs whose master image or snapshot is deleted.
If you don't specify the -action parameter, the internal VMs are unprotected by default.
n-vc host name or IP address of vCenter Server
n-uid vCenter Server user ID
n-password vCenter Server user password
n-clientId instant-clone client ID (Optional)
If clientId is not specified, protection is removed from all ClonePrep VMs in all data centers.
n-domain domain name (Optional)
You can use multiple domain names separated by comma and no space.
n-host host name (Optional)
You can use multiple host names separated by comma and no space.
n-datastore datastore name (Optional)
You can use multiple datastore names separated by comma and no space.
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n-vmName VM name (Optional)
You can use multiple VM names separated by comma and no space.
n-vmType internal VM type (Optional)
You can use multiple VM types separated by comma and no space. You can use template, replica,
parent as options for this parameter.
n-includeFolders include folders
This parameter unprotects the folders in addition to the VMs.
n-skipCertVeri skip certification verification
IcUnprotect.cmd enforces host name verification. You must enter the correct host name of the
vCenter Server instead of its IP address when you specify the command parameters. To disable host
name verification and use the IP address of vCenter Server instead, use -skipCertVeri.
Specify the following parameters to delete all parent VMs in vCenter Server:
IcUnprotect -action delete -vc <IP address of vCenter Server> -uid <vCenter Server user ID> -password
<vCenter Server password> -clientId <instant clone client ID> -host <hostname 1>,<hostname 2> -vmType
parent
Specify the following parameters to delete specific parent VMs in vCenter Server:
IcUnprotect -action delete -vc <IP address of vCenter Server> -uid <vCenter Server user ID> -password
<vCenter Server password> -clientId <instant clone client ID> -host <hostname 1>,<hostname 2> (-vmType
parent) -vmName <parent VM name 1,parent VM name 2)
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Creating Automated Desktop
Pools That Contain Full Virtual
Machines 5
With an automated desktop pool that contains full virtual machines, you create a virtual machine template
and Horizon 7 uses that template to create virtual machines for each desktop. You can optionally create
customization specifications to expedite automated pool deployments.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nAutomated Pools That Contain Full Virtual Machines
nWorksheet for Creating an Automated Pool That Contains Full Virtual Machines
nCreate an Automated Pool That Contains Full Virtual Machines
nClone an Automated Desktop Pool
nRebuild a Virtual Machine in a Full-Clone Desktop Pool
nDesktop Settings for Automated Pools That Contain Full Virtual Machines
nConfigure Full Clones with vSphere Virtual Machine Encryption
Automated Pools That Contain Full Virtual Machines
To create an automated desktop pool, Horizon 7 dynamically provisions machines based on settings that
you apply to the pool. Horizon 7 uses a virtual machine template as the basis of the pool. From the
template, Horizon 7 creates a new virtual machine in vCenter Server for each desktop.
Worksheet for Creating an Automated Pool That Contains
Full Virtual Machines
When you create an automated desktop pool, the Horizon Administrator Add Desktop Pool wizard
prompts you to configure certain options. Use this worksheet to prepare your configuration options before
you create the pool.
You can print this worksheet and write down the values you want to specify when you run the Add
Desktop Pool wizard.
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Table 5‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating an Automated Pool That Contains
Full Virtual Machines
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
User assignment Choose the type of user assignment:
nIn a dedicated-assignment pool, each user is
assigned to a machine. Users receive the same
machine each time they log in to the pool.
nIn a floating-assignment pool, users receive
different machines each time they log in.
For details, see User Assignment in Desktop Pools.
Enable automatic assignment In a dedicated-assignment pool, a machine is
assigned to a user when the user first logs in to the
pool. You can also explicitly assign machines to
users.
If you do not enable automatic assignment, you must
explicitly assign a machine to each user.
You can assign machines manually even when
automatic assignment is enabled.
vCenter Server Select the vCenter Server that manages the virtual
machines in the pool.
Desktop Pool ID The unique name that identifies the pool in Horizon
Administrator.
If multiple vCenter Servers are running in your
environment, make sure that another vCenter Server
is not using the same pool ID.
A Connection Server configuration can be a
standalone Connection Server instance or a pod of
replicated instances that share a common View
LDAP configuration.
Display name The pool name that users see when they log in from
a client device. If you do not specify a display name,
the pool ID is displayed to users.
Access group Select an access group in which to place the pool or
leave the pool in the default root access group.
If you use an access group, you can delegate
managing the pool to an administrator who has a
specific role. For details, see the role-based
delegated administration chapter in the View
Administration document.
Note Access groups are different from vCenter
Server folders that store desktop virtual machines.
You select a vCenter Server folder later in the wizard
with other vCenter Server settings.
Delete machine after logoff If you select floating user assignment, choose
whether to delete machines after users log off.
Note You set this option on the Desktop Pool
Settings page.
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Table 5‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating an Automated Pool That Contains
Full Virtual Machines (Continued)
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
Desktop Pool Settings Settings that determine the desktop state, power
status when a virtual machine is not in use, display
protocol, Adobe Flash quality, and so on.
For descriptions, see Desktop Pool Settings for All
Desktop Pool Types.
For a list of the settings that apply to automated
pools, see Desktop Settings for Automated Pools
That Contain Full Virtual Machines.
For more information about power policies and
automated pools, see Setting Power Policies for
Desktop Pools.
Stop provisioning on error You can direct Horizon 7 to stop provisioning or
continue to provision virtual machines in a desktop
pool after an error occurs during the provisioning of a
virtual machine. If you leave this setting selected, you
can prevent a provisioning error from recurring on
multiple virtual machines.
Virtual Machine Naming Choose whether to provision machines by manually
specifying a list of machine names or by providing a
naming pattern and the total number of machines.
For details, see Naming Machines Manually or
Providing a Naming Pattern.
Specify names manually If you specify names manually, prepare a list of
machine names and, optionally, the associated user
names.
Naming Pattern If you use this naming method, provide the pattern.
The pattern you specify is used as a prefix in all the
machine names, followed by a unique number to
identify each machine.
For details, see Using a Naming Pattern for
Automated Desktop Pools.
Maximum number of machines If you use a naming pattern, specify the total number
of machines in the pool.
You can also specify a minimum number of machines
to provision when you first create the pool.
Number of spare (powered on)
machines
If you specify names manually or use a naming
pattern, specify a number of machines to keep
available and powered on for new users. For details,
see Naming Machines Manually or Providing a
Naming Pattern.
When you specify names manually, this option is
called # Unassigned machines kept powered on.
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Table 5‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating an Automated Pool That Contains
Full Virtual Machines (Continued)
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
Minimum number of machines If you use a naming pattern and provision machines
on demand, specify a minimum number of machines
in the pool.
The minimum number of machines is created when
you create the pool.
If you provision machines on demand, additional
machines are created as users connect to the pool
for the first time or as you assign machines to users.
Use vSphere Virtual SAN Specify whether to use Virtual SAN, if available.
Virtual SAN is a software-defined storage tier that
virtualizes the local physical storage disks available
on a cluster of ESXi hosts. For more information, see
Using Virtual SAN for High-Performance Storage and
Policy-Based Management.
Template Select the virtual machine template to use for
creating the pool.
vCenter Server folder Select the folder in vCenter Server in which the
desktop pool resides.
Host or cluster Select the ESXi host or cluster on which the virtual
machines run.
In vSphere 5.1 or later, you can select a cluster with
up to 32 ESXi hosts.
Resource pool Select the vCenter Server resource pool in which the
desktop pool resides.
Datastores Choose the type of datastore:
nIndividual datastore. Select individual
datastores on which to store the desktop pool.
nStorage DRS. Select the Storage Distributed
Resource Scheduler (DRS) cluster that contains
shared or local datastores. Storage DRS is a load
balancing utility that assigns and moves storage
workloads to available datastores.
If your desktop pool was upgraded from
Horizon 7 version 7.1 to Horizon 7 version 7.2,
and you want to modify the pool to use the
Storage DRS cluster, you must deselect the
existing datastores and select Storage DRS.
Note If you use Virtual SAN, select only one
datastore.
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Table 5‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating an Automated Pool That Contains
Full Virtual Machines (Continued)
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
Use View Storage Accelerator Determine whether ESXi hosts cache common virtual
machine disk data. View Storage Accelerator can
improve performance and reduce the need for extra
storage I/O bandwidth to manage boot storms and
anti-virus scanning I/O storms.
This feature is supported on vSphere 5.0 and later.
This feature is enabled by default.
For details, see Configure View Storage Accelerator
for View Composer Linked Clones.
Transparent Page Sharing Scope Select the level at which to allow transparent page
sharing (TPS). The choices are Virtual Machine (the
default), Pool, Pod, or Global. If you turn on TPS for
all the machines in the pool, pod, or globally, the
ESXi host eliminates redundant copies of memory
pages that result if the machines use the same guest
operating system or applications.
Page sharing happens on the ESXi host. For
example, if you enable TPS at the pool level but the
pool is spread across multiple ESXi hosts, only virtual
machines on the same host and within the same pool
will share pages. At the global level, all machines
managed by Horizon 7 on the same ESXi host can
share memory pages, regardless of which pool the
machines reside in.
Note The default setting is not to share memory
pages among machines because TPS can pose a
security risk. Research indicates that TPS could
possibly be abused to gain unauthorized access to
data in very limited configuration scenarios.
Guest customization Select a customization specification (SYSPREP) from
the list to configure licensing, domain attachment,
DHCP settings, and other properties on the
machines.
Alternatively, you can customize the machines
manually after they are created.
Create an Automated Pool That Contains Full Virtual
Machines
You can create an automated desktop pool based on a virtual machine template that you select.
Horizon 7 dynamically deploys the desktops, creating a new virtual machine in vCenter Server for each
desktop.
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Prerequisites
nPrepare a virtual machine template that Horizon 7 will use to create the machines. Horizon 7 must be
installed on the template. See Chapter 3 Creating and Preparing a Virtual Machine for Cloning.
nIf you intend to use a customization specification, make sure that the specifications are accurate. In
vSphere Client, deploy and customize a virtual machine from your template using the customization
specification. Fully test the resulting virtual machine, including DHCP and authentication.
nVerify that you have a sufficient number of ports on the ESXi virtual switch that is used for the virtual
machines that are used as remote desktops. The default value might not be sufficient if you create
large desktop pools. The number of virtual switch ports on the ESXi host must equal or exceed the
number of virtual machines multiplied by the number of virtual NICs per virtual machine.
nGather the configuration information you must provide to create the pool. See Worksheet for Creating
an Automated Pool That Contains Full Virtual Machines.
nDecide how to configure power settings, display protocol, Adobe Flash quality, and other settings.
See Desktop Pool Settings for All Desktop Pool Types.
nIf you intend to provide access to your desktops and applications through VMware Identity Manager,
verify that you create the desktop and application pools as a user who has the Administrators role on
the root access group in Horizon Administrator. If you give the user the Administrators role on an
access group other than the root access group, VMware Identity Manager will not recognize the
SAML authenticator you configure in Horizon 7, and you cannot configure the pool in
VMware Identity Manager.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Click Add.
3Select Automated Desktop Pool.
4On the vCenter Server page, choose Full virtual machines.
5Follow the prompts in the wizard to create the pool.
Use the configuration information that you gathered in the worksheet. You can go directly back to any
wizard page that you completed by clicking the page name in the navigation panel.
In Horizon Administrator, you can view the machines as they are added to the pool by selecting Catalog
> Desktop Pools.
What to do next
Entitle users to access the pool. See Add Entitlements to a Desktop or Application Pool.
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Clone an Automated Desktop Pool
You can clone an automated desktop pool from an existing pool. When you clone a pool, the existing
desktop pool's settings are copied into the Add Desktop Pool wizard, allowing you to create a new pool
without having to fill in each setting manually.
With this feature, you can streamline pool creation because you do not have to type every option in the
Add Desktop Pool wizard. You can ensure that desktop pool attributes are standardized by using the
pre-filled values in the wizard.
You can clone automated desktop pools that contain full virtual machines or View Composer linked
clones. You cannot clone automated desktop pools of instant clones, manual desktop pools, or RDS
desktop pools.
When you clone a desktop pool, you cannot change certain settings:
nDesktop pool type
nClone type, either linked clone or full virtual machine
nUser assignment, either dedicated or floating
nvCenter Server instance
Prerequisites
nVerify that the prerequisites for creating the original desktop pool are still valid.
For example, for a pool that contains full virtual machines, verify that a virtual machine template was
prepared.
For a linked-clone pool, verify that a parent virtual machine was prepared and a snapshot was taken
after the virtual machine was powered off.
When you clone a pool, you can use the same virtual machine template or parent virtual machine, or
you can select another one.
nFor prerequisites for cloning an automated, full-clone pool, see Create an Automated Pool That
Contains Full Virtual Machines.
nFor prerequisites for cloning a linked-cone pool, see Create a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Select the desktop pool that you want to clone and click Clone.
The Add Desktop Pool wizard appears.
3On the Add Desktop Pool page, type a unique pool ID.
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4On the Provisioning Settings page, provide unique names for the virtual machines.
Option Description
Use a naming pattern Type a virtual machine naming pattern.
Specify names manually Provide a list of unique names for the virtual machines.
5Follow the other prompts in the wizard to create the pool.
Change desktop pool settings and values as needed.
In Horizon Administrator, you can view the machines as they are added to the pool by selecting Catalog
> Desktop Pools.
What to do next
Entitle users to access the pool. See Add Entitlements to a Desktop or Application Pool.
Rebuild a Virtual Machine in a Full-Clone Desktop Pool
Rebuild a virtual machine in a full-clone desktop pool if you want to replace the virtual machine with a new
virtual machine and want to reuse the machine name. You can rebuild a virtual machine that is in an error
state to replace the virtual machine with an error free virtual machine of the same name. When you
rebuild a virtual machine, the virtual machine is deleted and then cloned with the same virtual machine
name and the AD computer accounts are reused. All user data or settings from the previous virtual
machine are lost and the new virtual machine is created using the desktop pool template.
Prerequisites
nCreate an automated full-clone desktop pool. See Create an Automated Pool That Contains Full
Virtual Machines.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Select the desktop pool that contains the virtual machine you want to rebuild and click the Inventory
tab.
3Select the virtual machine that you want to rebuild and click Rebuild.
In vCenter Client, you can view the virtual machine as it is deleted and cloned again with the same
name. In Horizon Administrator, the status of the rebuilt virtual machine goes through the following
states: Deleting > Provisioning > Customizing > Available.
Desktop Settings for Automated Pools That Contain Full
Virtual Machines
You must specify desktop pool settings when you configure automated pools that contain full virtual
machines. Different settings apply to pools with dedicated user assignments and floating user
assignments.
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Table 5‑2 lists the settings that apply to automated pools with dedicated assignments and floating
assignments.
For descriptions of each desktop pool setting, see Desktop Pool Settings for All Desktop Pool Types.
Table 5‑2. Settings for Automated Pools That Contain Full Virtual Machines
Setting
Automated Pool, Dedicated
Assignment Automated Pool, Floating Assignment
State Yes Yes
Connection Server restrictions Yes Yes
Remote machine power policy Yes Yes
Automatic logoff after disconnect Yes Yes
Allow users to reset/restart their machines Yes Yes
Allow user to initiate separate sessions
from different client devices
Yes
Delete machine after logoff Yes
Default display protocol Yes Yes
Allow users to choose protocol Yes Yes
3D Renderer Yes Yes
Max number of monitors Yes Yes
Max resolution of any one monitor Yes Yes
Adobe Flash quality Yes Yes
Adobe Flash throttling Yes Yes
Override global Mirage settings Yes Yes
Mirage Server configuration Yes Yes
Configure Full Clones with vSphere Virtual Machine
Encryption
You can configure full clones to use the vSphere Virtual Machine Encryption feature. You can create full-
clone desktops that have the same encryption keys or, full-clone desktops with different keys.
Prerequisites
nvSphere 6.5 or later.
nCreate the Key Management Server (KMS) cluster with key management servers.
nTo create a trust between KMS and vCenter Server, accept the self signed CA certificate or create a
CA signed certificate.
nIn vSphere Web Client, create the VMcrypt/VMEncryption storage profile.
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nHorizon 7
Note For details about the Virtual Machine Encryption feature in vSphere, see the vSphere Security
document in the vSphere documentation.
Procedure
1To configure full clones that use the same encryption keys, create a parent template for all desktops
to have the same encryption keys.
The clone inherits the parent encryption state including keys.
a In vSphere Web Client, create a parent VM with the vmencrypt storage policy or create a parent
VM and then apply the vmencrypt storage policy.
b Convert the parent VM to a virtual machine template.
c Create full-clone desktops that point to the parent template so that all desktops have the same
encryption keys.
Note Do not select the Content Based Read Cache (CBRC) feature when you create the full-clone
desktop pool. The CBRC and Virtual Machine Encryption features are not compatible.
2To configure full clones that use different encryption keys, you must change the storage policy for
each full-clone desktop.
a In vSphere Web Client, create the full-clone desktop pool and then edit the full-clone desktops.
You can also edit existing full-clone desktops.
b Navigate to each full-clone desktop and edit the storage policy and change the storage policy to
vmencrypt.
Each full-clone desktop gets a different encryption key.
Note Full-clone desktops with CBRC digestive disks that exist cannot get the vmencrypt storage
policy. The vmencrypt storage policy applies only when the parent VM does not have any snapshots.
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Creating Linked-Clone Desktop
Pools 6
With a linked-clone desktop pool, Horizon 7 creates a desktop pool based on a parent virtual machine
that you select. The View Composer service dynamically creates a new linked-clone virtual machine in
vCenter Server for each desktop.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nLinked-Clone Desktop Pools
nWorksheet for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
nCreate a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
nClone an Automated Desktop Pool
nDesktop Pool Settings for Linked-Clone Desktop Pools
nView Composer Support for Linked-Clone SIDs and Third-Party Applications
nKeeping Linked-Clone Machines Provisioned for Use in Remote Desktop Sessions During View
Composer Operations
nUse Existing Active Directory Computer Accounts for Linked Clones
Linked-Clone Desktop Pools
To create a linked-clone desktop pool, View Composer generates linked-clone virtual machines from a
snapshot of a parent virtual machine. View dynamically provisions the linked-clone desktops based on
settings that you apply to the pool.
Because linked-clone desktops share a base system-disk image, they use less storage than full virtual
machines.
Worksheet for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
When you create a linked-clone desktop pool, the View Administrator Add Desktop Pool wizard prompts
you to configure certain options. Use this worksheet to prepare your configuration options before you
create the pool.
You can print this worksheet and write down the values you want to specify when you run the Add
Desktop Pool wizard.
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Before you create a linked-clone pool, you must use vCenter Server to take a snapshot of the parent
virtual machine that you prepare for the pool. You must shut down the parent virtual machine before you
take the snapshot. View Composer uses the snapshot as the base image from which the clones are
created.
Note You cannot create a linked-clone pool from a virtual machine template.
Table 6‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
User assignment Choose the type of user assignment:
nIn a dedicated-assignment pool, each user is assigned
to a machine. Users receive the same machine each
time they log in.
nIn a floating-assignment pool, users receive different
machines each time they log in.
For details, see User Assignment in Desktop Pools.
Enable automatic assignment In a dedicated-assignment pool, a machine is assigned to a
user when the user first logs in to the pool. You can also
explicitly assign machines to users.
If you do not enable automatic assignment, you must
explicitly assign a machine to each user.
vCenter Server Select the vCenter Server that manages the virtual
machines in the pool.
Desktop Pool ID The unique name that identifies the pool in View
Administrator.
If multiple View Connection Server configurations are
running in your environment, make sure that another View
Connection Server configuration is not using the same pool
ID.
A View Connection Server configuration can be a
standalone View Connection Server instance or a pod of
replicated instances that share a common View LDAP
configuration.
Display name The pool name that users see when they log in from a client
device. If you do not specify a display name, the pool ID is
displayed to users.
Access group Select an access group in which to place the pool or leave
the pool in the default root access group.
If you use an access group, you can delegate managing the
pool to an administrator who has a specific role. For details,
see the role-based delegated administration chapter in the
View Administration document.
Note Access groups are different from vCenter Server
folders that store virtual machines that are used as
desktops. You select a vCenter Server folder later in the
wizard with other vCenter Server settings.
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Table 6‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
Delete or refresh machine on
logoff
If you select floating user assignment, choose whether to
refresh machines, delete machines, or do nothing after
users log off.
Note You set this option on the Desktop Pool Settings
page.
Desktop Pool Settings Settings that determine the machine state, power status
when a virtual machine is not in use, display protocol,
Adobe Flash quality, and so on.
For descriptions, see Desktop Pool Settings for All Desktop
Pool Types.
For a list of the settings that apply to linked-clone pools, see
Desktop Pool Settings for Linked-Clone Desktop Pools.
For more information about power policies and automated
pools, see Setting Power Policies for Desktop Pools.
Stop provisioning on error You can direct View to stop provisioning or continue to
provision virtual machines in a desktop pool after an error
occurs during the provisioning of a virtual machine. If you
leave this setting selected, you can prevent a provisioning
error from recurring on multiple virtual machines.
Virtual machine naming Choose whether to provision machines by manually
specifying a list of machine names or by providing a naming
pattern and the total number of machines.
For details, see Naming Machines Manually or Providing a
Naming Pattern.
Specify names manually If you specify names manually, prepare a list of machine
names and, optionally, the associated user names.
Naming pattern If you use this naming method, provide the pattern.
The pattern you specify is used as a prefix in all the
machine names, followed by a unique number to identify
each machine.
For details, see Using a Naming Pattern for Automated
Desktop Pools.
Max number of machines If you use a naming pattern, specify the total number of
machines in the pool.
You can also specify a minimum number of machines to
provision when you first create the pool.
Number of spare (powered on)
machines
If you specify names manually or use a naming pattern,
specify a number of machines to keep available and
powered on for new users. For details, see Naming
Machines Manually or Providing a Naming Pattern.
When you specify names manually, this option is called #
Unassigned machines kept powered on.
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Table 6‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
Minimum number of ready
(provisioned) machines during
View Composer maintenance
operations
If you specify names manually or use a naming pattern,
specify a minimum number of machines that are
provisioned for use in remote desktop sessions while View
Composer maintenance operations take place.
This setting allows users to maintain existing connections or
make new connection requests while View Composer
refreshes, recomposes, or rebalances the machines in the
pool. The setting does not distinguish between spare
machines that are ready to accept new connections and
machines that are already connected in existing desktop
sessions.
This value must be smaller than the Max number of
machines, which you specify if you provision machines on
demand.
See Keeping Linked-Clone Machines Provisioned for Use in
Remote Desktop Sessions During View Composer
Operations.
Provision machines on demand
or
Provision all machines up front
If you use a naming pattern, choose whether to provision all
machines when the pool is created or provision machines
as they are needed.
nProvision all machines up front. When the pool is
created, the system provisions the number of machines
you specify in Max number of machines.
nProvision machines on demand. When the pool is
created, the system creates the number of machines
that you specify in Min number of machines.
Additional machines are created as users connect to
the pool for the first time or as you assign machines to
users.
Min number of machines If you use a naming pattern and provision desktops on
demand, specify a minimum number of machines in the
pool.
The system creates the minimum number of machines
when you create the pool. This number is maintained even
when other settings such as Delete or refresh machine on
logoff cause machines to be deleted.
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Table 6‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
Redirect Windows profile to a
persistent disk
If you select dedicated user assignments, choose whether
to store Windows user-profile data on a separate View
Composer persistent disk or the same disk as the OS data.
Separate persistent disks let you preserve user data and
settings. View Composer refresh, recompose, and
rebalance operations do not affect persistent disks. You can
detach a persistent disk from a linked clone and recreate
the linked-clone virtual machine from the detached disk. For
example, when a machine or pool is deleted, you can
detach the persistent disk and recreate the desktop,
preserving the original user data and settings.
If you store the Windows profile in the OS disk, user data
and settings are removed during refresh, recompose, and
rebalance operations.
Disk size and drive letter for
persistent disk
If you store user profile data on a separate View Composer
persistent disk, provide the disk size in megabytes and the
drive letter.
Note Do not select a drive letter that already exists on the
parent virtual machine or that conflicts with a drive letter that
is used for a network-mounted drive.
Disposable File Redirection Choose whether to redirect the guest OS's paging and temp
files to a separate, nonpersistent disk. If you do, provide the
disk size in megabytes.
With this configuration, when a linked clone is powered off,
the disposable-file disk is replaced with a copy of the
original disk that was created with the linked-clone pool.
Linked clones can increase in size as users interact with
their desktops. Disposable file redirection can save storage
space by slowing the growth of linked clones.
Disk size and drive letter for
disposable file disk
If you redirect disposable files to a nonpersistent disk,
provide the disk size in megabytes and the drive letter.
The disk size should be larger than page-file size of the
guest OS. To determine the page-file size, see Record the
Paging File Size of a View Composer Parent Virtual
Machine.
When you configure the disposable file disk size, consider
that the actual size of a formatted disk partition is slightly
smaller than the value you provide in View Administrator.
You can select a drive letter for the disposable file disk. The
default value, Auto, directs View to assign the drive letter.
Note Do not select a drive letter that already exists on the
parent virtual machine or that conflicts with a drive letter that
is used for a network-mounted drive.
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Table 6‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
Use vSphere Virtual SAN Specify whether to use VMware Virtual SAN, if available.
Virtual SAN is a software-defined storage tier that virtualizes
the local physical storage disks available on a cluster of
ESXi hosts. For more information, see Using Virtual SAN for
High-Performance Storage and Policy-Based Management.
Select separate datastores for
persistent and OS disks
(Available only if you do not use Virtual SAN) If you redirect
user profiles to separate persistent disks, you can store the
persistent disks and OS disks on different datastores.
Select separate datastores for
replica and OS disks
(Available only if you do not use Virtual SAN or Virtual
Volumes) You can store the replica (master) virtual machine
disk on a high performance datastore and the linked clones
on separate datastores.
For details, see Storing Replicas and Clones on Separate
Datastores for Instant Clones and View Composer Linked
Clones.
If you store replicas and OS disks on separate datastores,
native NFS snapshots cannot be used. Native cloning on a
NAS device can only take place if the replica and OS disks
are stored on the same datastores.
Parent VM Select the parent virtual machine for the pool.
Snapshot (default image) Select the snapshot of the parent virtual machine to use as
the base image for the pool.
Do not delete the snapshot and parent virtual machine from
vCenter Server, unless no linked clones in the pool use the
default image, and no more linked clones will be created
from this default image. The system requires the parent
virtual machine and snapshot to provision new linked clones
in the pool, according to pool policies. The parent virtual
machine and snapshot are also required for View Composer
maintenance operations.
VM folder location Select the folder in vCenter Server in which the desktop
pool resides.
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Table 6‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
Host or cluster Select the ESXi host or cluster on which the desktop virtual
machines run.
With Virtual SAN datastores (a vSphere 5.5 Update 1
feature), you can select a cluster with up to 20 ESXi hosts.
With Virtual Volumes datastores (a vSphere 6.0 feature),
you can select a cluster with up to 32 ESXi hosts.
In vSphere 5.1 or later, you can select a cluster with up to
32 ESXi hosts if the replicas are stored on VMFS5 or later
datastores or NFS datastores. If you store replicas on a
VMFS version earlier than VMFS5, a cluster can have at
most eight hosts.
In vSphere 5.0, you can select a cluster with more than
eight ESXi hosts if the replicas are stored on NFS
datastores. If you store replicas on VMFS datastores, a
cluster can have at most eight hosts. See Configuring
Desktop Pools on Clusters With More Than Eight Hosts.
Resource pool Select the vCenter Server resource pool in which the
desktop pool resides.
Datastores Select one or more datastores on which to store the
desktop pool.
A table on the Select Linked Clone Datastores page of
the Add Desktop Pool wizard provides high-level guidelines
for estimating the pool's storage requirements. These
guidelines can help you determine which datastores are
large enough to store the linked-clone disks. For details,
see Storage Sizing for Instant-Clone and View Composer
Linked-Clone Desktop Pools.
You can use shared or local datastores for an individual
ESXi host or for ESXi clusters. If you use local datastores in
an ESXi cluster, you must consider the vSphere
infrastructure constraints that are imposed on your desktop
deployment. See Storing View Composer Linked Clones on
Local Datastores.
With Virtual SAN datastores (a vSphere 5.5 Update 1
feature), you can select a cluster with up to 20 ESXi hosts.
With Virtual Volumes datastores (a vSphere 6.0 feature),
you can select a cluster with up to 32 ESXi hosts.
In vSphere 5.1 or later, a cluster can have more than eight
ESXi hosts if the replicas are stored on datastores that are
VMFS5 or later or NFS. In vSphere 5.0, a cluster can have
more than eight ESXi hosts only if the replicas are stored on
NFS datastores. See Configuring Desktop Pools on
Clusters With More Than Eight Hosts.
For more information about the disks that are created for
linked clones, see View Composer Linked-Clone Data
Disks.
Note If you use Virtual SAN, select only one datastore.
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Table 6‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
Storage Overcommit Determine the storage-overcommit level at which linked-
clones are created on each datastore.
As the level increases, more linked clones fit on the
datastore and less space is reserved to let individual clones
grow. A high storage-overcommit level lets you create linked
clones that have a total logical size larger than the physical
storage limit of the datastore. For details, see Set the
Storage Overcommit Level for Linked-Clone Virtual
Machines.
Note This setting has no effect if you use Virtual SAN.
Use View Storage Accelerator Determine whether to use View Storage Accelerator, which
allows ESXi hosts to cache common virtual machine disk
data. View Storage Accelerator can improve performance
and reduce the need for extra storage I/O bandwidth to
manage boot storms and anti-virus scanning I/O storms.
This feature is supported on vSphere 5.0 and later.
This feature is enabled by default.
For details, see Configure View Storage Accelerator for
View Composer Linked Clones.
Use native NFS snapshots
(VAAI)
(Available only if you do not use Virtual SAN) If your
deployment includes NAS devices that support the vStorage
APIs for Array Integration (VAAI), you can use native
snapshot technology to clone virtual machines.
You can use this feature only if you select datastores that
reside on NAS devices that support native cloning
operations through VAAI.
You cannot use this feature if you store replicas and OS
disks on separate datastores. You cannot use this feature
on virtual machines with space-efficient disks.
This feature is supported on vSphere 5.0 and later.
For details, see Using VAAI Storage for View Composer
Linked Clones.
Reclaim VM disk space (Available only if you do not use Virtual SAN or Virtual
Volumes) Determine whether to allow ESXi hosts to reclaim
unused disk space on linked clones that are created in
space-efficient disk format. The space reclamation feature
reduces the total storage space required for linked-clone
desktops.
This feature is supported on vSphere 5.1 and later. The
linked-clone virtual machines must be virtual hardware
version 9 or later.
For details, see Reclaim Disk Space on View Composer
Linked Clones.
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Table 6‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
Initiate reclamation when
unused space on VM exceeds:
(Available only if you do not use Virtual SAN or Virtual
Volumes) Type the minimum amount of unused disk space,
in gigabytes, that must accumulate on a linked-clone OS
disk to trigger space reclamation. When the unused disk
space exceeds this threshold, View initiates the operation
that directs the ESXi host to reclaim space on the OS disk.
This value is measured per virtual machine. The unused
disk space must exceed the specified threshold on an
individual virtual machine before View starts the space
reclamation process on that machine.
For example: 2 GB.
The default value is 1 GB.
Blackout Times Configure days and times during which View Storage
Accelerator regeneration and the reclamation of virtual
machine disk space do not take place.
To ensure that ESXi resources are dedicated to foreground
tasks when necessary, you can prevent the ESXi hosts from
performing these operations during specified periods of time
on specified days.
For details, see Set Storage Accelerator and Space
Reclamation Blackout Times for View Composer Linked
Clones.
Transparent Page Sharing
Scope
Select the level at which to allow transparent page sharing
(TPS). The choices are Virtual Machine (the default), Pool,
Pod, or Global. If you turn on TPS for all the machines in
the pool, pod, or globally, the ESXi host eliminates
redundant copies of memory pages that result if the
machines use the same guest operating system or
applications.
Page sharing happens on the ESXi host. For example, if
you enable TPS at the pool level but the pool is spread
across multiple ESXi hosts, only virtual machines on the
same host and within the same pool will share pages. At the
global level, all machines managed by Horizon 7 on the
same ESXi host can share memory pages, regardless of
which pool the machines reside in.
Note The default setting is not to share memory pages
among machines because TPS can pose a security risk.
Research indicates that TPS could possibly be abused to
gain unauthorized access to data in very limited
configuration scenarios.
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Table 6‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
Domain Select the Active Directory domain and user name.
View Composer requires certain user privileges to create a
linked-clone pool. The domain and user account are used
by QuickPrep or Sysprep to customize the linked-clone
machines.
You specify this user when you configure View Composer
settings for vCenter Server. You can specify multiple
domains and users when you configure View Composer
settings. When you use the Add Desktop Pool wizard to
create a pool, you must select one domain and user from
the list.
For information about configuring View Composer, see the
View Administration document.
AD container Provide the Active Directory container relative distinguished
name.
For example: CN=Computers
When you run the Add Desktop Pool wizard, you can
browse your Active Directory tree for the container.
Allow reuse of pre-existing
computer accounts
Select this option to use existing computer accounts in
Active Directory for linked clones that are provisioned by
View Composer. This option lets you control the computer
accounts that are created in Active Directory.
When a linked clone is provisioned, if an existing AD
computer account name matches the linked clone machine
name, View Composer uses the existing computer account.
Otherwise, a new computer account is created.
The existing computer accounts must be located in the
Active Directory container that you specify with the Active
Directory container setting.
When this option is disabled, a new AD computer account is
created when View Composer provisions a linked clone.
This option is disabled by default.
For details, see Use Existing Active Directory Computer
Accounts for Linked Clones.
Use QuickPrep or a
customization specification
(Sysprep)
Choose whether to use QuickPrep or select a customization
specification (Sysprep) to configure licensing, domain
attachment, DHCP settings, and other properties on the
machines.
Sysprep is supported for linked clones only on vSphere 4.1
or later software.
After you use QuickPrep or Sysprep when you create a
pool, you cannot switch to the other customization method
later on, when you create or recompose machines in the
pool.
For details, see Choosing QuickPrep or Sysprep to
Customize Linked-Clone Machines.
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Table 6‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
Power-off script QuickPrep can run a customization script on linked-clone
machines before they are powered off.
Provide the path to the script on the parent virtual machine
and the script parameters.
Post-synchronization script QuickPrep can run a customization script on linked-clone
machines after they are created, recomposed, and
refreshed.
Provide the path to the script on the parent virtual machine
and the script parameters.
Create a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool
You can create an automated, linked-clone desktop pool based on a parent virtual machine that you
select. The View Composer service dynamically creates a new linked-clone virtual machine in vCenter
Server for each desktop.
To create an automated pool that contains full virtual machines, see Automated Pools That Contain Full
Virtual Machines.
Prerequisites
nVerify that the View Composer service is installed, either on the same host as vCenter Server or on a
separate host, and that a View Composer database is configured. See the View Installation
document.
nVerify that View Composer settings for vCenter Server are configured in View Administrator. See the
View Administration document.
nVerify that you have a sufficient number of ports on the ESXi virtual switch that is used for the virtual
machines that are used as remote desktops. The default value might not be sufficient if you create
large desktop pools. The number of virtual switch ports on the ESXi host must equal or exceed the
number of virtual machines multiplied by the number of virtual NICs per virtual machine.
nVerify that you prepared a parent virtual machine. Horizon Agent must be installed on the parent
virtual machine. See Chapter 3 Creating and Preparing a Virtual Machine for Cloning.
nTake a snapshot of the parent virtual machine in vCenter Server. You must shut down the parent
virtual machine before you take the snapshot. View Composer uses the snapshot as the base image
from which the clones are created.
Note You cannot create a linked-clone pool from a virtual machine template.
nGather the configuration information you must provide to create the pool. See Worksheet for Creating
a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool.
nDecide how to configure power settings, display protocol, Adobe Flash quality, and other settings.
See Desktop Pool Settings for All Desktop Pool Types.
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nIf you intend to provide access to your desktops and applications through VMware Identity Manager,
verify that you create the desktop and application pools as a user who has the Administrators role on
the root access group in Horizon Administrator. If you give the user the Administrators role on an
access group other than the root access group, VMware Identity Manager will not recognize the
SAML authenticator you configure in Horizon 7, and you cannot configure the pool in
VMware Identity Manager.
Important While a linked-clone pool is created, do not modify the parent virtual machine in vCenter
Server. For example, do not convert the parent virtual machine to a template. The View Composer service
requires that the parent virtual machine remain in a static, unaltered state during pool creation.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Click Add.
3Select Automated Desktop Pool.
4On the vCenter Server page, choose View Composer linked clones.
5Follow the prompts in the wizard to create the pool.
Use the configuration information you gathered in the worksheet. You can go directly back to any
wizard page you completed by clicking the page name in the navigation panel.
On the vCenter Settings page, you must click Browse and select the vCenter Server settings in
sequence. You cannot skip a vCenter Server setting:
a Parent VM
b Snapshot
c VM folder location
d Host or cluster
e Resource pool
f Datastores
In View Administrator, you can view the machines as they are added to the pool by selecting Catalog >
Desktop Pools.
The linked clones might restart one or more times while they are provisioned. If a linked clone is in an
error state, the View automatic recovery mechanism attempts to power on, or shut down and restart, the
linked clone. If repeated recovery attempts fail, the linked clone is deleted.
View Composer also creates a replica virtual machine that serves as the master image for provisioning
the linked clones. To reduce space consumption, the replica is created as a thin disk. If all the virtual
machines are recomposed or deleted, and no clones are linked to the replica, the replica virtual machine
is deleted from vCenter Server.
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If you do not store the replica on a separate datastore, View Composer creates a replica on each
datastore on which linked clones are created.
If you store the replica on a separate datastore, one replica is created for the entire pool, even when
linked clones are created on multiple datastores.
What to do next
Entitle users to access the pool. See Add Entitlements to a Desktop or Application Pool.
Clone an Automated Desktop Pool
You can clone an automated desktop pool from an existing pool. When you clone a pool, the existing
desktop pool's settings are copied into the Add Desktop Pool wizard, allowing you to create a new pool
without having to fill in each setting manually.
With this feature, you can streamline pool creation because you do not have to type every option in the
Add Desktop Pool wizard. You can ensure that desktop pool attributes are standardized by using the
pre-filled values in the wizard.
You can clone automated desktop pools that contain full virtual machines or View Composer linked
clones. You cannot clone automated desktop pools of instant clones, manual desktop pools, or RDS
desktop pools.
When you clone a desktop pool, you cannot change certain settings:
nDesktop pool type
nClone type, either linked clone or full virtual machine
nUser assignment, either dedicated or floating
nvCenter Server instance
Prerequisites
nVerify that the prerequisites for creating the original desktop pool are still valid.
For example, for a pool that contains full virtual machines, verify that a virtual machine template was
prepared.
For a linked-clone pool, verify that a parent virtual machine was prepared and a snapshot was taken
after the virtual machine was powered off.
When you clone a pool, you can use the same virtual machine template or parent virtual machine, or
you can select another one.
nFor prerequisites for cloning an automated, full-clone pool, see Create an Automated Pool That
Contains Full Virtual Machines.
nFor prerequisites for cloning a linked-cone pool, see Create a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
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2Select the desktop pool that you want to clone and click Clone.
The Add Desktop Pool wizard appears.
3On the Add Desktop Pool page, type a unique pool ID.
4On the Provisioning Settings page, provide unique names for the virtual machines.
Option Description
Use a naming pattern Type a virtual machine naming pattern.
Specify names manually Provide a list of unique names for the virtual machines.
5Follow the other prompts in the wizard to create the pool.
Change desktop pool settings and values as needed.
In Horizon Administrator, you can view the machines as they are added to the pool by selecting Catalog
> Desktop Pools.
What to do next
Entitle users to access the pool. See Add Entitlements to a Desktop or Application Pool.
Desktop Pool Settings for Linked-Clone Desktop Pools
You must specify machine and desktop pool settings when you configure automated pools that contain
linked clones created by View Composer. Different settings apply to pools with dedicated user
assignments and floating user assignments.
Table 6‑2 lists the settings that apply to linked-clone pools with dedicated assignments and floating
assignments.
For descriptions of each setting, see Desktop Pool Settings for All Desktop Pool Types.
Table 6‑2. Settings for Automated, Linked-Clone Desktop Pools
Setting
Linked-Clone Pool, Dedicated
Assignment
Linked-Clone Pool, Floating
Assignment
State Yes Yes
Connection Server restrictions Yes Yes
Category Folder Yes Yes
Remote machine power policy Yes Yes
Automatically logoff after disconnect Yes Yes
Allow users to reset/restart their machines Yes Yes
Allow user to initiate separate sessions
from different client devices
Yes
Delete or refresh machine on logoff Yes
Refresh OS disk after logoff Yes
Default display protocol Yes Yes
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Table 6‑2. Settings for Automated, Linked-Clone Desktop Pools (Continued)
Setting
Linked-Clone Pool, Dedicated
Assignment
Linked-Clone Pool, Floating
Assignment
Allow users to choose protocol Yes Yes
3D Renderer Yes Yes
Max number of monitors Yes Yes
Max resolution of any one monitor Yes Yes
Adobe Flash quality Yes Yes
Adobe Flash throttling Yes Yes
Override global Mirage settings Yes Yes
Mirage Server configuration Yes Yes
View Composer Support for Linked-Clone SIDs and Third-
Party Applications
View Composer can generate and preserve local computer security identifiers (SIDs) for linked-clone
virtual machines in some situations. View Composer can preserve globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) of
third-party applications, depending on the way that the applications generate GUIDs.
To understand how View Composer operations affect SIDs and application GUIDs, you should
understand how linked-clone machines are created and provisioned:
1 View Composer creates a linked clone by taking these actions:
a Creates the replica by cloning the parent virtual-machine snapshot.
b Creates the linked clone to refer to the replica as its parent disk.
2 View Composer and View customize the linked clone with QuickPrep or a Sysprep customization
specification, depending on which customization tool you select when you create the pool.
nIf you use Sysprep, a unique SID is generated for each clone.
nIf you use QuickPrep, no new SID is generated. The parent virtual machine's SID is replicated on
all provisioned linked-clone machines in the pool.
nSome applications generate a GUID during customization.
3 View creates a snapshot of the linked clone.
The snapshot contains the unique SID generated with Sysprep or common SID generated with
QuickPrep.
4 View powers on the machine according to the settings you select when you create the pool.
Some applications generate a GUID the first time the machine is powered on.
For a comparison of QuickPrep and Sysprep customization, see Choosing QuickPrep or Sysprep to
Customize Linked-Clone Machines.
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When you refresh the linked clone, View Composer uses the snapshot to restore the clone to its initial
state. Its SID is preserved.
If you use QuickPrep, when you recompose the linked clone, the parent virtual machine's SID is
preserved on the linked clone as long as you select the same parent virtual machine for the recompose
operation. If you select a different parent virtual machine for the recomposition, the new parent's SID is
replicated on the clone.
If you use Sysprep, a new SID is always generated on the clone. For details, see Recomposing Linked
Clones Customized with Sysprep.
Table 6‑3 shows the effect of View Composer operations on linked-clone SIDs and third-party application
GUIDs.
Table 6‑3. View Composer Operations, Linked-Clone SIDs, and Application GUIDs
Support for SIDs or GUIDs Clone Creation Refresh Recompose
Sysprep: Unique SIDs for
linked clones
With Sysprep customization,
unique SIDs are generated
for linked clones.
Unique SIDs are preserved. Unique SIDS are not
preserved.
QuickPrep: Common SIDs for
linked clones
With QuickPrep
customization, a common SID
is generated for all clones in a
pool.
Common SID is preserved. Common SID is preserved.
Third-party application GUIDs Each application behaves
differently.
Note Sysprep and
QuickPrep have the same
effect on GUID preservation.
The GUID is preserved if an
application generates the
GUID before the initial
snapshot is taken.
The GUID is not preserved if
an application generates the
GUID after the initial snapshot
is taken.
Recompose operations do not
preserve an application GUID
unless the application writes
the GUID on the drive specified
as a View Composer persistent
disk.
Choosing QuickPrep or Sysprep to Customize Linked-Clone
Machines
QuickPrep and Microsoft Sysprep provide different approaches to customizing linked-clone machines.
QuickPrep is designed to work efficiently with View Composer. Microsoft Sysprep offers standard
customization tools.
When you create linked-clone machines, you must modify each virtual machine so that it can function as
a unique computer on the network. View and View Composer provide two methods for personalizing
linked-clone machines.
Table 6‑4 compares QuickPrep with customization specifications that are created with Microsoft Sysprep.
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Table 6‑4. Comparing QuickPrep and Microsoft Sysprep
QuickPrep Customization Specification (Sysprep)
Designed to work with View Composer.
For details, see Customizing Linked-Clone Machines with
QuickPrep.
Can be created with the standard Microsoft Sysprep tools.
Uses the same local computer security identifier (SID) for all
linked clones in the pool.
Generates a unique local computer SID for each linked clone in
the pool.
Can run additional customization scripts before linked clones are
powered off and after linked clones are created, refreshed, or
recomposed.
Can run an additional script when the user first logs in.
Joins the linked clone computer to the Active Directory domain. Joins the linked-clone computer to the Active Directory domain.
The domain and administrator information in the Sysprep
customization specification is not used. The virtual machine is
joined to the domain using the guest customization information
that you enter in View Administrator when you create the pool.
For each linked clone, adds a unique ID to the Active Directory
domain account.
For each linked clone, adds a unique ID to the Active Directory
domain account.
Does not generate a new SID after linked clones are refreshed.
The common SID is preserved.
Generates a new SID when each linked clone is customized.
Preserves the unique SIDs during a refresh operation, but not
during a recompose or rebalance operation.
Does not generate a new SID after linked clones are
recomposed. The common SID is preserved.
Runs again after linked clones are recomposed, generating new
SIDs for the virtual machines.
For details, see Recomposing Linked Clones Customized with
Sysprep.
Runs faster than Sysprep. Can take longer than QuickPrep.
After you customize a linked-clone pool with QuickPrep or Sysprep, you cannot switch to the other
customization method when you create or recompose machines in the pool.
Customizing Linked-Clone Machines with QuickPrep
You can personalize the linked-clone machines that are created from a parent virtual machine by using
the QuickPrep system tool. View Composer executes QuickPrep when a linked-clone machine is created
or recomposed.
QuickPrep customizes a linked-clone machine in several ways:
nGives the computer a name that you specify when you create the linked-clone pool.
nCreates a computer account in Active Directory, joining the computer to the appropriate domain.
nMounts the View Composer persistent disk. The Windows user profile is redirected to this disk.
nRedirects temp and paging files to a separate disk.
These steps might require the linked clones to restart one or more times.
QuickPrep uses KMS volume license keys to activate Windows linked-clone machines. For details, see
the View Administration document.
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You can create your own scripts to further customize the linked clones. QuickPrep can run two types of
scripts at predefined times:
nAfter linked clones are created or recomposed
nImmediately before linked clones are powered off
For guidelines and rules for using QuickPrep customization scripts, see Running QuickPrep
Customization Scripts.
Note View Composer requires domain user credentials to join linked-clone machines to an Active
Directory domain. For details, see the View Administration document.
Running QuickPrep Customization Scripts
With the QuickPrep tool, you can create scripts to customize the linked-clone machines in a pool. You can
configure QuickPrep to run customization scripts at two predefined times.
When QuickPrep Scripts Run
The post-synchronization script runs after linked clones are created, recomposed, or rebalanced, and the
clones' status is Ready. The power-off script runs before linked clones are powered off. The scripts run in
the guest operating systems of the linked clones.
How QuickPrep Executes Scripts
The QuickPrep process uses the Windows CreateProcess API call to execute scripts. Your script can
invoke any process that can be created with the CreateProcess API. For example, cmd, vbscript, exe,
and batch-file processes work with the API.
In particular, QuickPrep passes the path that is specified for the script as the second parameter to the
CreateProcess API and sets the first parameter to NULL.
For example, if the script path is c:\myscript.cmd, the path appears as the second parameter in the
function in the View Composer log file: CreateProcess(NULL,c:\myscript.cmd,...).
Providing Paths to QuickPrep Scripts
You provide paths to the QuickPrep customization scripts when you create a linked-clone machine pool or
when you edit a pool's guest customization settings. The scripts must reside on the parent virtual
machine. You cannot use a UNC path to a network share.
If you use a scripting language that needs an interpreter to execute the script, the script path must start
with the interpreter binary.
For example, if you specify the path C:\script\myvb.vbs as a QuickPrep customization script, View
Composer Agent cannot execute the script. You must specify a path that starts with the interpreter binary
path:
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C:\windows\system32\cscript.exe c:\script\myvb.vbs
Important Protect QuickPrep customization scripts from access by ordinary users. Place the scripts in a
secure folder.
QuickPrep Script Timeout Limit
View Composer terminates a post-synchronization or power-off script that takes longer than 20 seconds.
If your script takes longer than 20 seconds, you can increase the timeout limit. For details, see Increase
the Timeout Limit for ClonePrep and QuickPrep Customization Scripts.
Alternatively, you can use your script to launch another script or process that performs the long-running
task.
QuickPrep Script Account
QuickPrep runs the scripts under the account under which the VMware View Composer Guest Agent
Server service is configured to run. By default, this account is Local System.
Do not change this log on account. If you do, the linked clones do not start.
QuickPrep Process Privileges
For security reasons, certain Windows operating system privileges are removed from the View Composer
Guest Agent process that invokes QuickPrep customization scripts.
A QuickPrep customization script cannot perform any action that requires a privilege that is removed from
the View Composer Guest Agent process.
The following privileges are removed from the process that invokes QuickPrep scripts:
SeCreateTokenPrivilege
SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege
SeSecurityPrivilege
SeSystemEnvironmentPrivilege
SeLoadDriverPrivilege
SeSystemtimePrivilege
SeUndockPrivilege
SeManageVolumePrivilege
SeLockMemoryPrivilege
SeIncreaseBasePriorityPrivilege
SeCreatePermanentPrivilege
SeDebugPrivilege
SeAuditPrivilege
QuickPrep Script Logs
View Composer logs contain information about QuickPrep script execution. The log records the start and
end of execution and logs output or error messages. The log is located in the Windows temp directory:
C:\Windows\Temp\vmware-viewcomposer-ga-new.log
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Recomposing Linked Clones Customized with Sysprep
If you recompose a linked-clone machine that was customized with Sysprep, View runs the Sysprep
customization specification again after the OS disk is recomposed. This operation generates a new SID
for the linked-clone virtual machine.
If a new SID is generated, the recomposed linked clone functions as a new computer on the network.
Some software programs such as system-management tools depend on the SID to identify the computers
under their management. These programs might not be able to identify or locate the linked-clone virtual
machine.
Also, if third-party software is installed on the system disk, the customization specification might
regenerate the GUIDs for that software after the recomposition.
A recomposition restores the linked clone to its original state, before the customization specification was
run the first time. In this state, the linked clone does not have a local computer SID or the GUID of any
third-party software installed in the system drive. View must run the Sysprep customization specification
after the linked clone is recomposed.
Keeping Linked-Clone Machines Provisioned for Use in
Remote Desktop Sessions During View Composer
Operations
If your users must be able to access remote desktops at all times, you must maintain a certain number of
machines that are provisioned for use in remote desktop sessions even when View Composer
maintenance operations take place. You can set a minimum number of machines that are not placed in
maintenance mode while View Composer refreshes, recomposes, or rebalances the linked-clone virtual
machines in a pool.
When you set a Minimum number of ready (provisioned) machines during View Composer
maintenance operations, View ensures that the specified number of machines stay provisioned, and are
not placed in maintenance mode, while View Composer proceeds through the maintenance operation.
This setting lets users maintain existing connections or make new connection requests during the View
Composer maintenance operation. The setting does not distinguish between spare machines that are
ready to accept new connections and machines that are already connected in existing desktop sessions.
You can specify this setting when you create or edit a linked-clone pool.
The following guidelines apply to this setting:
nTo allow a number of users to maintain their existing desktop connections and keep a minimum
number of spare (powered on) machines that can accept new connection requests, set the Minimum
number of ready (provisioned) machines during View Composer maintenance operations to a
large enough value to include both sets of machines.
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nIf you use a naming pattern to provision machines and provision machines on demand, set the
number of provisioned machines during View Composer operations to a smaller value than the
specified Max number of machines. If the maximum number were smaller, your pool could end up
with fewer total machines than the minimum number you want to keep provisioned during View
Composer operations. In this case, View Composer maintenance operations could not take place.
nIf you provision machines by manually specifying a list of machine names, do not reduce the total
pool size (by removing machine names) to a lower number than the minimum number of provisioned
machines. In this case, View Composer maintenance operations could not take place.
nIf you set a large minimum number of provisioned machines in relation to the pool size, View
Composer maintenance operations might take longer to complete. While View maintains the
minimum number of provisioned machines during a maintenance operation, the operation might not
reach the concurrency limit that is specified in the Max concurrent View Composer maintenance
operations setting.
For example, if a pool contains 20 machines and the minimum number of provisioned machines is 15,
View Composer can operate on at most five machines at a time. If the concurrency limit for View
Composer maintenance operations is 12, the concurrency limit is never reached.
nIn this setting name, the term "ready" applies to the state of the linked-clone virtual machine, not the
machine status that is displayed in View Administrator. A virtual machine is ready when it is
provisioned and ready to be powered on. The machine status reflects the View-managed condition of
the machine. For example, a machine can have a status of Connected, Disconnected, Agent
Unreachable, Deleting, and so on, and still be considered "ready".
Use Existing Active Directory Computer Accounts for
Linked Clones
When you create or edit a desktop pool or an automated farm, you can configure View Composer to use
existing computer accounts in Active Directory for newly provisioned linked clones.
By default, View Composer generates a new Active Directory computer account for each linked clone that
it provisions. The Allow reuse of pre-existing computer accounts option lets you control the computer
accounts that are created in Active Directory by ensuring that View Composer uses existing AD computer
accounts.
With this option enabled, when a linked clone is provisioned, View Composer checks if an existing AD
computer account name matches the linked clone machine name. If a match exists, View Composer uses
the existing AD computer account. If View Composer does not find a matching AD computer account
name, View Composer generates a new AD computer account for the linked clone.
You can set the Allow reuse of pre-existing computer accounts option when you create or edit a
desktop pool or an automated farm. If you edit a pool or a farm and set this option, the setting affects
linked-clone machines that are provisioned in the future. Linked clones that are already provisioned are
not affected.
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When you set the Allow reuse of pre-existing computer accounts option, you can limit the Active
Directory permissions assigned to the View Composer user account that generates the desktop pool or
farm. Only the following Active Directory permissions are required:
nList Contents
nRead All Properties
nRead Permissions
nReset Password
You can only limit the Active Directory permissions if you are sure that all machines you intend to
provision have existing computer accounts allocated in Active Directory. View Composer generates a new
AD computer account if no matching name is found. Additional permissions such as Create Computer
Objects are required to create new computer accounts. For a complete list of permissions required for the
View Composer user account, see the View Administration document.
This option cannot be disabled if View Composer is currently using at least one existing AD computer
account.
The following procedure applies to linked-clone desktop pools. The steps are similar for automated farms.
Prerequisites
Verify that the existing computer accounts are located in the Active Directory container that you specify
with the Active Directory container setting. If the existing accounts are located in a different container,
provisioning fails for linked clones with those account names, and an error message states that the
existing computer accounts already exist in Active Directory.
For example, if you select the Allow reuse of pre-existing computer accounts option and specify that
the Active Directory container is the default value, CN=Computers, and the existing computer accounts
are located in OU=mydesktops, provisioning fails for those accounts.
Procedure
1In Active Directory, create the computer accounts to use for the linked-clone machines.
For example: machine1, machine2, machine3
The computer account names must use consecutive integers so that they match the names that are
generated during machine provisioning in View.
2In View Administrator, create a pool by using the Add Desktop Pool wizard or edit the pool in the Edit
dialog box.
3On the Provisioning Settings page or tab, select Use a naming pattern.
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4In the Naming Pattern text box, type a machine name that matches the Active Directory computer
account name.
For example: machine
View appends unique numbers to the pattern to provide a unique name for each machine.
For example: machine1, machine2, machine3
5On the Guest Customization page or tab, select the Allow reuse of pre-existing computer
accounts option.
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Creating Manual Desktop Pools 7
In a manual desktop pool, each remote desktop that is accessed by an end user is a separate machine.
When you create a manual desktop pool, you select existing machines. You can create a pool that
contains a single desktop by creating a manual desktop pool and selecting a single machine.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nManual Desktop Pools
nWorksheet for Creating a Manual Desktop Pool
nCreate a Manual Desktop Pool
nCreate a Manual Pool That Contains One Machine
nDesktop Pool Settings for Manual Pools
Manual Desktop Pools
To create a manual desktop pool, View provisions desktops from existing machines. You select a
separate machine for each desktop in the pool.
View can use several types of machines in manual pools:
nVirtual machines that are managed by vCenter Server
nVirtual machines that run on a virtualization platform other than vCenter Server
nPhysical computers
For information about creating a manual desktop pool that uses Linux virtual machines, see the Setting
Up Horizon 7 for Linux Desktops guide.
Worksheet for Creating a Manual Desktop Pool
When you create a manual desktop pool, the View Administrator Add Desktop Pool wizard prompts you
to configure certain options. Use this worksheet to prepare your configuration options before you create
the pool.
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You can print this worksheet and write down the values you want to specify when you run the Add
Desktop Pool wizard.
Note In a manual pool, you must prepare each machine to deliver remote desktop access.
Horizon Agent must be installed and running on each machine.
Table 7‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating a Manual Desktop Pool
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
User assignment Choose the type of user assignment:
nIn a dedicated-assignment pool, each user is
assigned to a machine. Users receive the same
machine each time they log in.
nIn a floating-assignment pool, users receive
different machines each time they log in.
For details, see User Assignment in Desktop Pools.
vCenter Server The vCenter Server that manages the machines.
This option appears only if the machines are virtual
machines that are managed by vCenter Server.
Machine Source The virtual machines or physical computers that you
want to include in the desktop pool.
1 Decide which type of machine you want to use.
You can use either virtual machines that are
managed by vCenter Server or unmanaged
virtual machines and physical computers.
2 Prepare a list of the vCenter Server virtual
machines or unmanaged virtual machines and
physical computers that you want to include in
the desktop pool.
3 Install Horizon Agent on each machine that you
want to include in the desktop pool.
To use PCoIP with machines that are unmanaged
virtual machines or physical computers, you must use
Teradici hardware.
Note When you enable Windows Server desktops in
View Administrator, View Administrator displays all
available Windows Server machines, including
machines on which View Connection Server and
other View servers are installed, as potential machine
sources.
You cannot select machines for the desktop pool if
View server software is installed on the machines.
Horizon Agent cannot coexist on the same virtual or
physical machine with any other View software
component, including View Connection Server,
security server, View Composer, or Horizon Client.
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Table 7‑1. Worksheet: Configuration Options for Creating a Manual Desktop Pool
(Continued)
Option Description Fill In Your Value Here
Desktop Pool ID The pool name that users see when they log in and
that identifies the pool in View Administrator.
If multiple vCenter Servers are running in your
environment, make sure that another vCenter Server
is not using the same pool ID.
Desktop Pool Settings Settings that determine the machine state, power
status when a virtual machine is not in use, display
protocol, Adobe Flash quality, and so on.
For details, see Desktop Pool Settings for All Desktop
Pool Types.
For a list of the settings that apply to manual pools,
see Desktop Pool Settings for Manual Pools.
Transparent Page Sharing Scope Select the level at which to allow transparent page
sharing (TPS). The choices are Virtual Machine (the
default), Pool, Pod, or Global. If you turn on TPS for
all the machines in the pool, pod, or globally, the
ESXi host eliminates redundant copies of memory
pages that result if the machines use the same guest
operating system or applications.
Page sharing happens on the ESXi host. For
example, if you enable TPS at the pool level but the
pool is spread across multiple ESXi hosts, only virtual
machines on the same host and within the same pool
will share pages. At the global level, all machines
managed by Horizon 7 on the same ESXi host can
share memory pages, regardless of which pool the
machines reside in.
Note The default setting is not to share memory
pages among machines because TPS can pose a
security risk. Research indicates that TPS could
possibly be abused to gain unauthorized access to
data in very limited configuration scenarios.
Create a Manual Desktop Pool
You can create a manual desktop pool that provisions desktops from existing virtual machines or physical
computers. You must select the machines that will be included in the desktop pool.
For manual pools with virtual machines that are managed by vCenter Server, View ensures that a spare
machine is powered on so that users can connect to it. The spare machine is powered on no matter
which power policy is in effect.
Prerequisites
nPrepare the machines to deliver remote desktop access. In a manual pool, you must prepare each
machine individually. Horizon Agent must be installed and running on each machine.
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To prepare virtual machines managed by vCenter Server, see Chapter 3 Creating and Preparing a
Virtual Machine for Cloning.
To prepare unmanaged virtual machines and physical computers, see Chapter 11 Preparing
Unmanaged Machines.
nGather the configuration information that you must provide to create the pool. See Worksheet for
Creating a Manual Desktop Pool.
nDecide how to configure power settings, display protocol, Adobe Flash quality, and other settings.
See Desktop Pool Settings for All Desktop Pool Types.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Click Add.
3Select Manual Desktop Pool.
4Follow the prompts in the wizard to create the pool.
Use the configuration information that you gathered in the worksheet. You can go directly back to any
wizard page that you completed by clicking the page name in the navigation panel.
In View Administrator, you can view the machines as they are added to the pool by selecting Catalog >
Desktop Pools.
What to do next
Entitle users to access the pool. See Add Entitlements to a Desktop or Application Pool.
Create a Manual Pool That Contains One Machine
You can create a pool that contains a single machine when a user requires a unique, dedicated desktop,
or when, at different times, multiple users must access a costly application with a single-host license.
You can provision an individual machine in its own pool by creating a manual desktop pool and selecting
a single machine.
To mimic a physical computer that can be shared by multiple users, specify a floating assignment for the
users entitled to access the pool.
Whether you configure the single-machine pool with dedicated or floating assignment, power operations
are initiated by session management. The virtual machine is powered on when a user requests the
desktop and powered off or suspended when the user logs off.
If you configure the Ensure machines are always powered on policy, the virtual machine remains
powered on. If the user shuts down the virtual machine, it immediately restarts.
Prerequisites
nPrepare the machine to deliver remote desktop access. Horizon Agent must be installed and running
on the machine.
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To prepare a virtual machine managed by vCenter Server, see Chapter 3 Creating and Preparing a
Virtual Machine for Cloning.
To prepare an unmanaged virtual machine or physical computer, see Chapter 11 Preparing
Unmanaged Machines.
nGather the configuration information you must provide to create the manual pool. See Worksheet for
Creating a Manual Desktop Pool.
nDecide how to configure power settings, display protocol, Adobe Flash quality, and other settings.
See Desktop Pool Settings for All Desktop Pool Types.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Click Add.
3Select Manual Desktop Pool.
4Select the type of user assignment.
Option Description
Dedicated The machine is assigned to one user. Only that user can log in to the desktop.
Floating The machine is shared by all users who are entitled to the pool. Any entitled user
can log in to the desktop as long as another user is not logged in.
5On the Machine Source page, select the machine to be included in the desktop pool.
6Follow the prompts in the wizard to create the pool.
Use the configuration information you gathered in the worksheet. You can go directly back to any
wizard page you completed by clicking the page name in the navigation panel.
In View Administrator, you can view the machine being added to the pool by selecting Catalog > Desktop
Pools.
What to do next
Entitle users to access the pool. See Add Entitlements to a Desktop or Application Pool.
Desktop Pool Settings for Manual Pools
You must specify machine and pool settings when you configure manual desktop pools. Not all settings
apply to all types of manual pools.
Table 7‑2 lists the settings that apply to manual desktop pools that are configured with these properties:
nDedicated user assignments
nFloating user assignments
nManaged machines (vCenter Server virtual machines)
nUnmanaged machines
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These settings also apply to a manual pool that contains a single machine.
For descriptions of each desktop pool setting, see Desktop Pool Settings for All Desktop Pool Types.
Table 7‑2. Settings for Manual Desktop Pools
Setting
Manual
Managed Pool,
Dedicated
Assignment
Manual Managed Pool,
Floating Assignment
Manual Unmanaged Pool,
Dedicated Assignment
Manual Unmanaged Pool,
Floating Assignment
State Yes Yes Yes Yes
Connection Server
restrictions
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Remote machine
power policy
Yes Yes
Automatically
logoff after
disconnect
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Allow users to
reset/restart their
machines
Yes Yes
Allow user to
initiate separate
sessions from
different client
devices
Yes Yes
Default display
protocol
Yes Yes Yes
To use PCoIP with a
machine that is not
managed by vCenter
Server, you must install
Teradici hardware on the
machine.
Yes
To use PCoIP with a
machine that is not managed
by vCenter Server, you must
install Teradici hardware on
the machine.
Allow users to
choose protocol
Yes Yes Yes Yes
3D Renderer Yes Yes
Max number of
monitors
Yes Yes
Max resolution of
any one monitor
Yes Yes
Adobe Flash
quality
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Adobe Flash
throttling
Yes Yes Yes Yes
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Table 7‑2. Settings for Manual Desktop Pools (Continued)
Setting
Manual
Managed Pool,
Dedicated
Assignment
Manual Managed Pool,
Floating Assignment
Manual Unmanaged Pool,
Dedicated Assignment
Manual Unmanaged Pool,
Floating Assignment
Override global
Mirage settings
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Mirage Server
configuration
Yes Yes Yes Yes
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Configuring Desktop Pools 8
When you create a desktop pool, you select configuration options that determine how the pool is
managed and how users interact with the desktops.
These tasks apply to desktop pools that are deployed on single-user machines. They do not apply to RDS
desktop pools. However, the Adobe Flash quality and throttling settings apply to all types of desktop
pools, including RDS.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nUser Assignment in Desktop Pools
nNaming Machines Manually or Providing a Naming Pattern
nManually Customizing Machines
nDesktop Pool Settings for All Desktop Pool Types
nAdobe Flash Quality and Throttling
nSetting Power Policies for Desktop Pools
nConfiguring 3D Rendering for Desktops
nPrevent Access to Horizon 7 Desktops Through RDP
nDeploying Large Desktop Pools
User Assignment in Desktop Pools
For manual desktop pools and automated desktop pools of full virtual machines, View Composer linked
clones, or instant clones, you can choose floating or dedicated user assignment for the desktops.
With a dedicated assignment, each desktop is assigned to a specific user. A user logging in for the first
time gets a desktop that is not assigned to another user. Thereafter, this user will always get this desktop
after logging in, and this desktop is not available to any other user. Between each login and logout, the
computer name and MAC address is retained for the same desktop. Any other changes that the user
makes to the desktop are not preserved.
With a floating assignment, users get a random desktop every time they log in. When a user logs off, the
desktop is returned to the pool.
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With floating instant clones, the desktop is always deleted and recreated from the current image when a
user logs out. With View Composer linked clones, you can configure floating-assignment machines to be
deleted when users log out. Automatic deletion lets you keep only as many virtual machines as you need
at one time.
With floating-assignment, you might be able to reduce software licensing costs.
Naming Machines Manually or Providing a Naming Pattern
With an automated desktop pool of full virtual machines or View Composer linked clones, you can specify
a list of names for the desktop machines or provide a naming pattern. With an instant-clone desktop pool,
you can only specify a naming pattern when provisioning the pool.
If you name machines by specifying a list, you can use your company's naming scheme, and you can
associate each machine name with a user.
If you provide a naming pattern, View can dynamically create and assign machines as users need them.
Table 8‑1 compares the two naming methods, showing how each method affects the way you create and
administer a desktop pool.
Table 8‑1. Naming machines Manually or Providing a machine-Naming Pattern
Feature Using a Machine-Naming Pattern Naming Machines Manually
Machine names The machine names are generated by
appending a number to the naming pattern.
For details, see Using a Naming Pattern for
Automated Desktop Pools.
You specify a list of machine names.
In a dedicated-assignment pool, you can
pair users with machines by listing user
names with the machine names.
For details, see Specify a List of Machine
Names.
Pool size You specify a maximum number of machines. Your list of machine names determines
the number of machines.
To add machines to the pool You can increase the maximum pool size. You can add machine names to the list.
For details, see Add Machines to an
Automated Pool Provisioned by a List of
Names.
On-demand provisioning Available.
View dynamically creates and provisions the
specified minimum and spare number of
machines as users first log in or as you
assign machines to users.
View can also create and provision all the
machines when you create the pool.
Not available.
View creates and provisions all the
machines that you specify in your list
when the pool is created.
Initial customization Available.
When a machine is provisioned, View can run
a customization specification that you select.
Available.
When a machine is provisioned, View can
run a customization specification that you
select.
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Table 8‑1. Naming machines Manually or Providing a machine-Naming Pattern (Continued)
Feature Using a Machine-Naming Pattern Naming Machines Manually
Manual customization of dedicated
machines
Not available to instant clones.
To customize machines and return desktop
access to your users, you must remove and
reassign the ownership of each machine.
Depending on whether you assign machines
on first log in, you might have to perform
these steps twice. You cannot start machines
in maintenance mode. After the pool is
created, you can manually put the machines
into maintenance mode.
You can customize and test machines
without having to reassign ownership.
When you create the pool, you can start
all machines in maintenance mode to
prevent users from accessing them. You
can customize the machines and exit
maintenance mode to return access to
your users.
For details, see Manually Customizing
Machines.
Dynamic or fixed pool size Dynamic.
If you remove a user assignment from a
machine in a dedicated-assignment pool, the
machine is returned to the pool of available
machines.
If you choose to delete machines on logoff in
a floating-assignment pool, the pool size can
grow or shrink depending on the number of
active user sessions.
Note Instant-clone pools can only be
floating-assignment pools. The machines are
always deleted on logoff.
Fixed.
The pool contains the number of
machines you provide in the list of
machine names.
You cannot select the Delete machine on
logoff setting if you name machines
manually.
Spare machines You can specify a number of spare machines
that View keeps powered on for new users.
View creates new machines to maintain the
specified number. View stops creating spare
machines when it reaches the maximum pool
size.
View keeps the spare machines powered on
even when the pool power policy is Power
off or Suspend, or when you do not set a
power policy.
Note Instant-clone pools do not have a
power policy.
You can specify a number of spare
machines that View keeps powered on for
new users.
View does not create new spare machines
to maintain the specified number.
View keeps the spare machines powered
on even when the pool power policy is
Power off or Suspend, or when you do
not set a power policy.
User assignment You can use a naming pattern for dedicated-
assignment and floating-assignment pools.
You can specify machine names for
dedicated-assignment and floating-
assignment pools.
Note In a floating-assignment pool, you
cannot associate user names with
machine names. The machines are not
dedicated to the associated users. In a
floating-assignment pool, all machines
that are not currently in use remain
accessible to any user who logs in.
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Specify a List of Machine Names
You can provision an automated desktop pool by manually specifying a list of machine names. This
naming method lets you use your company's naming conventions to identify the machines in a pool.
When you explicitly specify machine names, users can see familiar names based on their company's
organization when they log in to their remote desktops.
Follow these guidelines for manually specifying machine names:
nType each machine name on a separate line.
nA machine name can have up to 15 alphanumeric characters.
nYou can add a user name to each machine entry. Use a comma to separate the user name from the
machine name.
In this example, two machines are specified. The second machine is associated with a user:
Desktop-001
Desktop-002,abccorp.com\jdoe
Note In a floating-assignment pool, you cannot associate user names with machine names. The
machines are not dedicated to the associated users. In a floating-assignment pool, all machines that are
not currently in use remain accessible to any user who logs in.
Prerequisites
Make sure that each machine name is unique. You cannot use the names of existing virtual machines in
vCenter Server.
Procedure
1Create a text file that contains the list of machine names.
If you intend to create a desktop pool with only a few machines, you can type the machine names
directly in the Add Desktop Pool wizard. You do not have to create a separate text file.
2In View Administrator start the Add Desktop Pool wizard to begin creating an automated desktop
pool.
3On the Provisioning Settings page, select Specify names manually and click Enter names.
4Copy your list of machine names in the Enter Machine Names page and click Next.
The Enter Machine Names wizard displays the desktop list and indicates validation errors with a
red !.
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5Correct invalid machine names.
a Place your cursor over an invalid name to display the related error message at the bottom of the
page.
b Click Back.
c Edit the incorrect names and click Next.
6Click Finish.
7(Optional) Select Start machines in maintenance mode.
This option lets you customize the machines before users can log in and use them.
8Follow the prompts in the wizard to finish creating the desktop pool.
View creates a machine for each name in the list. When an entry includes a machine and user name,
View assigns the machine to that user.
After the desktop pool is created, you can add machines by importing another list file that contains
additional machine names and users. See "Add Machines to an Automated Pool Provisioned by a List of
Names" in the View Administration document.
Using a Naming Pattern for Automated Desktop Pools
You can provision the machines in a pool by providing a naming pattern and the total number of machines
you want in the pool. By default, View uses your pattern as a prefix in all the machine names and
appends a unique number to identify each machine.
Length of the Naming Pattern in a Machine Name
Machine names have a 15-character limit, including your naming pattern and the automatically generated
number.
Table 8‑2. Maximum Length of the Naming Pattern in a Machine Name
If You Set This Number of Machines in the Pool This Is the Maximum Prefix Length
1-99 13 characters
100-999 12 characters
1,000 or more 11 characters
Names that contain fixed-length tokens have different length limits. See Length of the Naming Pattern
When You Use a Fixed-Length Token.
Using a Token in a Machine Name
You can place the automatically generated number anywhere else in the name by using a token. When
you type the pool name, type n surrounded by curly brackets to designate the token.
For example: amber-{n}-desktop
When a machine is created, View replaces {n} with a unique number.
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You can generate a fixed-length token by typing {n:fixed=number of digits}.
View replaces the token with numbers containing the specified number of digits.
For example, if you type amber-{n:fixed=3}, View replaces {n:fixed=3} with a three-digit number and
creates these machine names: amber-001, amber-002, amber-003, and so on.
Length of the Naming Pattern When You Use a Fixed-Length Token
Names that contain fixed-length tokens have a 15-character limit, including your naming pattern and the
number of digits in the token.
Table 8‑3. Maximum Length of the Naming Pattern When You Use a Fixed-Length Token
Fixed-Length Token Maximum Length of the Naming Pattern
{n:fixed=1} 14 characters
{n:fixed=2} 13 characters
{n:fixed=3} 12 characters
Machine-Naming Example
This example shows how to create two automated desktop pools that use the same machine names, but
different sets of numbers. The strategies that are used in this example achieve a specific user objective
and show the flexibility of the machine-naming methods.
The objective is to create two pools with the same naming convention such as VDIABC-XX, where XX
represents a number. Each pool has a different set of sequential numbers. For example, the first pool
might contain machines VDIABC-01 through VDIABC-10. The second pool contains machines
VDIABC-11 through VDIABC-20.
You can use either machine-naming method to satisfy this objective.
nTo create fixed sets of machines at one time, specify machine names manually.
nTo create machines dynamically when users log in for the first time, provide a naming pattern and use
a token to designate the sequential numbers.
Specifying the Names Manually
1 Prepare a text file for the first pool that contains a list of machine names from VDIABC-01 through
VDIABC-10.
2 In View Administrator, create the pool and specify machine names manually.
3 Click Enter Names and copy your list into the Enter Machine Names list box.
4 Repeat these steps for the second pool, using the names VDIABC-11 through VDIABC-20.
For detailed instructions, see Specify a List of Machine Names.
You can add machines to each pool after it is created. For example, you can add machines VDIABC-21
through VDIABC-30 to the first pool, and VDIABC-31 through VDIABC-40 to the second pool. See Add
Machines to an Automated Pool Provisioned by a List of Names.
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Providing a Naming Pattern With a Token
1 In View Administrator, create the first pool and use a naming pattern to provision the machine names.
2 In the naming-pattern text box, type VDIABC-0{n}.
3 Limit the pool's maximum size to 9.
4 Repeat these steps for the second pool, but in the naming-pattern text box, type VDIABC-1{n}.
The first pool contains machines VDIABC-01 through VDIABC-09. The second pool contains machines
VDIABC-11 through VDIABC-19.
Alternatively, you can configure the pools to contain up to 99 machines each by using a fixed-length token
of 2 digits:
nFor the first pool, type VDIABC-0{n:fixed=2}.
nFor the second pool, type VDIABC-1{n:fixed=2}.
Limit each pool's maximum size to 99. This configuration produces machines that contain a 3-digit
sequential naming pattern.
First pool:
VDIABC-001
VDIABC-002
VDIABC-003
Second pool:
VDIABC-101
VDIABC-102
VDIABC-103
For details about naming patterns and tokens, see Using a Naming Pattern for Automated Desktop Pools.
Add Machines to an Automated Pool Provisioned by a List of
Names
To add machines to an automated desktop pool provisioned by manually specifying machine names, you
provide another list of new machine names. This feature lets you expand a desktop pool and continue to
use your company's naming conventions.
In Horizon 7.0, this feature is not supported for instant clones.
Follow these guidelines for manually adding machine names:
nType each machine name on a separate line.
nA machine name can have up to 15 alphanumeric characters.
nYou can add a user name to each machine entry. Use a comma to separate the user name from the
machine name.
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In this example, two machines are added. The second machine is associated with a user:
Desktop-001
Desktop-002,abccorp.com/jdoe
Note In a floating-assignment pool, you cannot associate user names with machine names. The
machines are not dedicated to the associated users. In a floating-assignment pool, all machines that are
not currently in use remain accessible to any user who logs in.
Prerequisites
Verify that you created the desktop pool by manually specifying machine names. You cannot add
machines by providing new machine names if you created the pool by providing a naming pattern.
Procedure
1Create a text file that contains the list of additional machine names.
If you intend to add only a few machines, you can type the machine names directly in the Add
Desktop Pool wizard. You do not have to create a separate text file.
2In View Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
3Select the desktop pool to be expanded.
4Click Edit.
5Click the Provisioning Settings tab.
6Click Add Machines.
7Copy your list of machine names in the Enter Machine Names page and click Next.
The Enter Machine Names wizard displays the machine list and indicates validation errors with a red
X.
8Correct invalid machine names.
a Place your cursor over an invalid name to display the related error message at the bottom of the
page.
b Click Back.
c Edit the incorrect names and click Next.
9Click Finish.
10 Click OK.
In vCenter Server, you can monitor the creation of the new virtual machines.
In View Administrator, you can view the machines as they are added to the desktop pool by selecting
Catalog > Desktop Pools.
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Change the Size of an Automated Pool Provisioned by a Naming
Pattern
When you provision an automated desktop pool by using a naming pattern, you can increase or decrease
the size of the pool by changing the maximum number of machines.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you provisioned the desktop pool by using a naming pattern. If you specify machine names
manually, see Add Machines to an Automated Pool Provisioned by a List of Names.
nVerify that the desktop pool is automated.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Select the desktop pool and click Edit.
3On the Provisioning Settings tab, type the new number of machines in the desktop pool in the Max
number of machines text box.
If you increase the desktop pool size, new machines can be added to the pool up to the maximum
number.
If you decrease the size of a floating-assignment pool, unused machines are deleted. If more users are
logged into the pool than the new maximum, the pool size decreases after users log off.
If you decrease the size of a dedicated-assignment pool, unassigned machines are deleted. If more users
are assigned to machines than the new maximum, the pool size decreases after you unassign users.
Note When you decrease the size of a desktop pool, the actual number of machines might be larger
than Max number of machines if more users are currently logged in or assigned to machines than the
value that is specified in Max number of machines.
Manually Customizing Machines
After you create an automated pool, you can customize particular machines without reassigning
ownership. By starting the machines in maintenance mode, you can modify and test the machines before
you release them to users.
Note This feature is not available to an instant-clone desktop pool.
Customizing Machines in Maintenance Mode
Maintenance mode prevents users from accessing their desktops. If you start machines in maintenance
mode, Horizon 7 places each machine in maintenance mode when the machine is created.
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In a dedicated-assignment pool, you can use maintenance mode to log in to a machine without having to
reassign ownership to your own administrator account. When you finish the customization, you do not
have to return ownership to the user assigned to the machine.
In a floating-assignment pool, you can test machines in maintenance mode before you let users log in.
To perform the same customization on all machines in an automated pool, customize the virtual machine
you prepare as a template or parent. View deploys your customization to all the machines. When you
create the pool, you can also use a Sysprep customization specification to configure all the machines with
licensing, domain attachment, DHCP settings, and other computer properties.
Note You can start machines in maintenance mode if you manually specify machine names for the pool,
not if you name machines by providing a naming pattern.
Customize Individual Machines
You can customize individual machines after a pool is created by starting the machines in maintenance
mode.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, begin creating an automated desktop pool by starting the Add Desktop
Pool wizard.
2On the Provisioning Settings page, select Specify names manually.
3Select Start machines in maintenance mode.
4Complete the Add Desktop Pool wizard to finish creating the desktop pool.
5In vCenter Server, log in, customize, and test the individual virtual machines.
You can customize the machines manually or by using standard Windows systems-management
software such as Altiris, SMS, LanDesk, or BMC.
6In Horizon Administrator, select the desktop pool.
7Use the filter tool to select specific machines to release to your users.
8Click More Commands > Exit Maintenance Mode.
What to do next
Notify your users that they can log in to their desktops.
Desktop Pool Settings for All Desktop Pool Types
You must specify machine and desktop pool settings when you configure automated pools that contain
full virtual machines, linked-clone desktop pools, manual desktop pools, and instant-clone desktop pools.
Not all settings apply to all types of desktop pools.
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Table 8‑4. Desktop Pool Setting Descriptions
Setting Options
State nEnabled. After being created, the desktop pool is enabled and ready for immediate use.
nDisabled. After being created, the desktop pool is disabled and unavailable for use, and provisioning
is stopped for the pool. This is an appropriate setting if you want to conduct post deployment activities
such as testing or other forms of baseline maintenance.
When this state is in effect, remote desktops are unavailable for use.
Connection Server
restrictions
nNone. The desktop pool can be accessed by any Connection Server instance.
nWith tags. Select one or more Connection Server tags to make the desktop pool accessible only to
Connection Server instances that have those tags. You can use the check boxes to select multiple
tags.
If you intend to provide access to your desktops through VMware Identity Manager, and you configure
Connection Server restrictions, the VMware Identity Manager app might display desktops to users when
those desktops are actually restricted. VMware Identity Manager users will be unable to launch these
desktops.
Category Folder Specifies the name of the category folder that contains a Start menu shortcut for the desktop pool
entitlement on Windows client devices. For more information, see Configuring Start Menu Shortcuts for
Desktop and Application Pools.
Remote machine
power policy
Determines how a virtual machine behaves when the user logs off of the associated desktop.
For descriptions of the power-policy options, see Power Policies for Desktop Pools.
For more information about how power policies affect automated pools, see Setting Power Policies for
Desktop Pools.
Not applicable to instant-clone desktop pools. Instant clones are always powered on.
Automatically logoff
after disconnect
nImmediately. Users are logged off as soon as they disconnect.
nNever. Users are never logged off.
nAfter. The time after which users are logged off when they disconnect. Type the duration in minutes.
The log off time applies to future disconnections. If a desktop session was already disconnected when
you set a log off time, the log off duration for that user starts when you set the log off time, not when
the session was originally disconnected. For example, if you set this value to five minutes, and a
session was disconnected 10 minutes earlier, View will log off that session five minutes after you set
the value.
Allow users to
reset/restart their
machines
Allow users to reset or restart their own desktops.
Allow user to initiate
separate sessions
from different client
devices
When this setting is selected, a user connecting to the same desktop pool from different client devices will
get different desktop sessions. The user can only reconnect to an existing session from the client device
where that session was initiated. When this setting is not selected, the user will be reconnected to his or
her existing session no matter which client device is used.
Delete machine after
logoff
Select whether to delete floating-assignment, full virtual machines.
nNo. Virtual machines remain in the desktop pool after users log off.
nYes. Virtual machines are powered off and deleted as soon as users log off.
For instant-clone desktops, the machine is always deleted and recreated after logoff.
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Table 8‑4. Desktop Pool Setting Descriptions (Continued)
Setting Options
Delete or refresh
machine on logoff
Select whether to delete, refresh, or leave alone floating-assignment, linked-clone virtual machines.
nNever. Virtual machines remain in the pool and are not refreshed after users log off.
nDelete immediately. Virtual machines are powered off and deleted as soon as users log off. When
users log off, virtual machines immediately go into a Deleting state.
nRefresh immediately. Virtual machines are refreshed as soon as users log off. When users log off,
virtual machines immediately go into maintenance mode to prevent other users from logging in as the
refresh operation begins.
For instant-clone desktops, the machine is always deleted and recreated after logoff.
Refresh OS disk after
logoff
Select whether and when to refresh the OS disks for dedicated-assignment, linked-clone virtual machines.
nNever. The OS disk is never refreshed.
nAlways. The OS disk is refreshed every time the user logs off.
nEvery. The OS disk is refreshed at regular intervals of a specified number of days. Type the number of
days.
The number of days is counted from the last refresh, or from the initial provisioning if no refresh has
occurred yet. For example, if the specified value is 3 days, and three days have passed since the last
refresh, the machine is refreshed after the user logs off.
nAt. The OS disk is refreshed when its current size reaches a specified percentage of its maximum
allowable size. The maximum size of a linked clone's OS disk is the size of the replica's OS disk. Type
the percentage at which refresh operations occur.
With the At option, the size of the linked clone's OS disk in the datastore is compared to its maximum
allowable size. This disk-utilization percentage does not reflect disk usage that you might see inside
the machine's guest operating system.
When you refresh the OS disks in a linked-clone pool with dedicated assignment, the View Composer
persistent disks are not affected.
For instant-clone desktops, the machine is always deleted and recreated after logoff.
Default display
protocol
Select the display protocol that you want Connection Server to use to communicate with clients.
VMware Blast The VMware Blast Extreme protocol is built on the H.264 protocol and
supports the broadest range of client devices, including smart phones,
tablets, ultra-low-cost PCs, and Macs, across any network. This protocol
consumes the least CPU resources and so provides longer battery life on
mobile devices.
PCoIP PCoIP is supported as the display protocol for virtual and physical
machines that have Teradici hardware. PCoIP provides an optimized PC
experience for the delivery of images, audio, and video content for a wide
range of users on the LAN or across the WAN.
Microsoft RDP Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) uses RDP to transmit data.
RDP is a multichannel protocol that allows a user to connect to a computer
remotely.
Allow users to choose
protocol
Allow users to override the default display protocol for their desktops by using Horizon Client.
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Table 8‑4. Desktop Pool Setting Descriptions (Continued)
Setting Options
3D Renderer You can select whether to enable 3D graphics rendering if your pool comprises Windows 7 or later
desktops. You can configure the 3D Renderer to use software rendering or hardware rendering based on
physical GPU graphics cards installed on ESXi 5.1 or later hosts.
To enable this feature, you must select PCoIP or VMware Blast as the protocol and disable the Allow
users to choose protocol setting (select No).
With the hardware-based 3D Renderer options, users can take advantage of graphics applications for
design, modeling, and multimedia. With the software 3D Renderer option, users can take advantage of
graphics enhancements in less demanding applications such as AERO, Microsoft Office, and Google
Earth. For system requirements, see Configuring 3D Rendering for Desktops.
If your View deployment does not run on vSphere 5.0 or later, this setting is not available and is inactive in
View Administrator.
When you select this feature, if you select the Automatic, Software, or Hardware option, you can
configure the amount of VRAM that is assigned to machines in the pool. The maximum number of
monitors is 2 and the maximum resolution is 1920 x 1200.
If you select Manage using vSphere Client, or NVIDIA GRID vGPU, you must configure the amount of
3D memory and the number of monitors in vCenter Server. You can select at most four monitors for your
machines that are used as remote desktops, depending on the monitor resolution.
Note When you configure or edit this setting, you must power off existing virtual machines, verify that the
machines are reconfigured in vCenter Server, and power on the machines to cause the new setting to take
effect. Restarting a virtual machine does not cause the new setting to take effect.
For more information, see Configuring 3D Rendering for Desktops, 3D Renderer Options. and Best
Practices for Configuring 3D Rendering.
For instant-clone desktop pools, NVIDIA GRID vGPU is the only 3D Renderer option available.
Max number of
monitors
If you select PCoIP or VMware Blast as the display protocol, you can select the Maximum number of
monitors on which users can display the desktop.
You can select up to four monitors.
When the 3D Renderer setting is not selected, the Max number of monitors setting affects the amount of
VRAM that is assigned to machines in the pool. When you increase the number of monitors, more memory
is consumed on the associated ESXi hosts.
When the 3D Renderer setting is not selected, up to three monitors are supported at 3840 x 2160
resolution on a Windows 7 guest operating system with Aero disabled. For other operating systems, or for
Windows 7 with Aero enabled, one monitor is supported at 3840 x 2160 resolution.
When the 3D Renderer setting is selected, one monitor is supported at 3840 x 2160 resolution. Multiple
monitors are best supported at a lower resolution. Select fewer monitors if you select a higher resolution.
Note You must power off and on existing virtual machines for this setting to take effect. Restarting a
virtual machine does not cause the setting to take effect.
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Table 8‑4. Desktop Pool Setting Descriptions (Continued)
Setting Options
Max resolution of any
one monitor
If you select PCoIP or VMware Blast as the display protocol, you should specify the Maximum resolution
of any one monitor.
The Maximum resolution of any one monitor is set to 1920 x 1200 pixels by default, but you can
configure this value.
When the 3D Renderer setting is not selected, the Max resolution of any one monitor setting affects the
amount of VRAM that is assigned to machines in the pool. When you increase the resolution, more
memory is consumed on the associated ESXi hosts.
When the 3D Renderer setting is not selected, up to three monitors are supported at 3840 x 2160
resolution on a Windows 7 guest operating system with Aero disabled. For other operating systems, or for
Windows 7 with Aero enabled, one monitor is supported at 3840 x 2160 resolution.
When the 3D Renderer setting is selected, one monitor is supported at 3840 x 2160 resolution. Multiple
monitors are best supported at a lower resolution. Select fewer monitors if you select a higher resolution.
Note You must power off and on existing virtual machines for this setting to take effect. Restarting a
virtual machine does not cause the setting to take effect.
HTML Access Select Enabled to allow users to connect to remote desktops from within their Web browsers.
When a user logs in through the VMware Horizon Web portal page or the VMware Identity Manager app
and selects a remote desktop, the HTML Access agent enables the user to connect to the desktop over
HTTPS. The desktop is displayed in the user's browser. Other display protocols, such as PCoIP or RDP,
are not used. Horizon Client software does not have to be installed on the client devices.
To use HTML Access, you must install HTML Access in your View deployment. For more information, see
Using HTML Access, available from
https://www.vmware.com/support/viewclients/doc/viewclients_pubs.html.
To use HTML Access with VMware Identity Manager, you must pair Connection Server with a SAML
Authentication server, as described in the View Administration document. VMware Identity Manager must
be installed and configured for use with Connection Server.
Allow Session
Collaboration
Select Enabled to allow users of the pool to invite other users to join their remote desktop sessions.
Session owners and session collaborators must use the VMware Blast display protocol.
Adobe Flash quality Determines the quality of Adobe Flash content that is displayed on Web pages.
nDo not control. Quality is determined by Web page settings.
nLow. This setting results in the most bandwidth savings. If no quality level is specified, the system
defaults to Low.
nMedium. This setting results in moderate bandwidth savings.
nHigh. This setting results in the least bandwidth savings.
For more information, see Adobe Flash Quality and Throttling.
Adobe Flash throttling Determines the frame rate of Adobe Flash movies. If you enable this setting, you can reduce or increase
the number of frames displayed per second by selecting an aggressiveness level.
nDisabled. No throttling is performed. The timer interval is not modified.
nConservative. Timer interval is 100 milliseconds. This setting results in the lowest number of dropped
frames.
nModerate. Timer interval is 500 milliseconds.
nAggressive. Timer interval is 2500 milliseconds. This setting results in the highest number of dropped
frames.
For more information, see Adobe Flash Quality and Throttling.
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Table 8‑4. Desktop Pool Setting Descriptions (Continued)
Setting Options
Override global
Mirage settings
To specify the same Mirage server for all desktop pools, use the global View configuration setting rather
than this pool-specific setting.
Not available to instant-clone desktop pools.
Mirage Server
configuration
Allows you to specify the URL of a Mirage server, using the format mirage://server-name:port or
mirages://server-name:port. Here server-name is the fully qualified domain name. If you do not
specify the port number, the default port number 8000 is used.
Specifying the Mirage server in View Administrator is an alternative to specifying the Mirage server when
installing the Mirage client. To find out which versions of Mirage support having the server specified in
View Administrator, see the Mirage documentation, at
https://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/mirage_pubs.html.
Not available to instant-clone desktop pools.
Adobe Flash Quality and Throttling
You can specify a maximum allowable level of quality for Adobe Flash content that overrides Web page
settings. If Adobe Flash quality for a Web page is higher than the maximum level allowed, quality is
reduced to the specified maximum. Lower quality results in more bandwidth savings.
To make use of Adobe Flash bandwidth-reduction settings, Adobe Flash must not be running in full
screen mode.
Table 8‑5 shows the available Adobe Flash render-quality settings.
Table 8‑5. Adobe Flash Quality Settings
Quality Setting Description
Do not control Quality is determined by Web page settings.
Low This setting results in the most bandwidth savings.
Medium This setting results in moderate bandwidth savings.
High This setting results in the least bandwidth savings.
If no maximum level of quality is specified, the system defaults to a value of Low.
Adobe Flash uses timer services to update what is shown on the screen at a given time. A typical Adobe
Flash timer interval value is between 4 and 50 milliseconds. By throttling, or prolonging, the interval, you
can reduce the frame rate and thereby reduce bandwidth.
Table 8‑6 shows the available Adobe Flash throttling settings.
Table 8‑6. Adobe Flash Throttling Settings
Throttling Setting Description
Disabled No throttling is performed. The timer interval is not modified.
Conservative Timer interval is 100 milliseconds. This setting results in the lowest number of dropped
frames.
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Table 8‑6. Adobe Flash Throttling Settings (Continued)
Throttling Setting Description
Moderate Timer interval is 500 milliseconds.
Aggressive Timer interval is 2500 milliseconds. This setting results in the highest number of dropped
frames.
Audio speed remains constant regardless of which throttling setting you select.
Configure Adobe Flash Quality and Throttling
You can set Adobe Flash quality and throttling modes to reduce the amount of bandwidth that is used by
Adobe Flash content in remote desktops. This reduction can improve the overall browsing experience and
make other applications that run in the remote desktop more responsive.
Prerequisites
Familiarize yourself with Adobe Flash quality and throttling settings. See Adobe Flash Quality and
Throttling.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Select a desktop pool and click Edit.
3On the Desktop Pool Settings tab, select a quality mode from the Adobe Flash quality menu and a
throttling mode from the Adobe Flash throttling menu.
4Click OK.
Note Adobe Flash bandwidth-reduction settings do not take effect until Horizon Client reconnects with
the remote desktop.
Setting Power Policies for Desktop Pools
You can configure a power policy for the virtual machines in a desktop pool if the virtual machines are
managed by vCenter Server except instant clones.
Power policies control how a virtual machine behaves when its associated desktop is not in use. A
desktop is considered not in use before a user logs in and after a user disconnects or logs off. Power
policies also control how a virtual machine behaves after administrative tasks such as refresh,
recompose, and rebalance are completed.
You configure power policies when you create or edit desktop pools in Horizon Administrator.
Note You cannot configure power policies for desktop pools that have unmanaged machines or instant
clones. Instant clones are always powered on.
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Power Policies for Desktop Pools
Power policies control how a virtual machine behaves when the associated remote desktop is not in use.
You set power policies when you create or edit a desktop pool. Table 8‑7 describes the available power
policies.
Table 8‑7. Power Policies
Power Policy Description
Take no power action Horizon 7 does not enforce any power policy after a user logs
off. This setting has two consequences.
nHorizon 7 does not change the power state of the virtual
machine after a user logs off.
For example, if a user shuts down the virtual machine, the
virtual machine remains powered off. If a user logs off
without shutting down, the virtual machine remains powered
on. When a user reconnects to the desktop, the virtual
machine restarts if it was powered off.
nHorizon 7 does not enforce any power state after an
administrative task is completed.
For example, a user might log off without shutting down. The
virtual machine remains powered on. When a scheduled
recomposition takes place, the virtual machine is powered
off. After the recomposition is completed, Horizon 7 does
nothing to change the power state of the virtual machine. It
remains powered off.
Ensure machines are always powered on The virtual machine remains powered on, even when it is not in
use. If a user shuts down the virtual machine, it immediately
restarts. The virtual machine also restarts after an administrative
task such as refresh, recompose, or rebalance is completed.
Select Ensure machines are always powered on if you run
batch processes or system management tools that must contact
the virtual machines at scheduled times.
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Table 8‑7. Power Policies (Continued)
Power Policy Description
Suspend The virtual machine enters a suspended state when a user logs
off, but not when a user disconnects.
You can also configure machines in a dedicated pool to be
suspended when a user disconnects without logging off. To
configure this policy, you must set an attribute in View LDAP.
See Configure Dedicated Machines To Be Suspended After
Users Disconnect.
When multiple virtual machines are resumed from a suspended
state, some virtual machines might have delays in powering on.
Whether any delays occur depends on the ESXi host hardware
and the number of virtual machines that are configured on an
ESXi host. Users connecting to their desktops from
Horizon Client might temporarily see a desktop-not-available
message. To access their desktops, users can connect again.
Power off The virtual machine shuts down when a user logs off, but not
when a user disconnects.
Note When you add a machine to a manual pool, Horizon 7 powers on the machine to ensure that it is
fully configured, even when you select the Power off or Take no power action power policy. After
Horizon Agent is configured, it is marked as Ready, and the normal power-management settings for the
pool apply.
For manual pools with machines that are managed by vCenter Server, Horizon 7 ensures that a spare
machine is powered on so that users can connect to it. The spare machine is powered on no matter
which power policy is in effect.
Table 8‑8 describes when Horizon 7 applies the configured power policy.
Table 8‑8. When Horizon 7 Applies the Power Policy
Desktop Pool Type The power policy is applied ...
Manual pool that contains one machine (vCenter Server-
managed virtual machine)
Power operations are initiated by session management. The
virtual machine is powered on when a user requests the desktop
and powered off or suspended when the user logs off.
Note The Ensure machines are always powered on policy
always applies, whether the single-machine pool uses floating or
dedicated assignment, and whether the machine is assigned or
unassigned.
Automated pool with dedicated assignment To unassigned machines only.
On assigned machines, power operations are initiated by
session management. Virtual machines are powered on when a
user requests an assigned machine and are powered off or
suspended when the user logs off.
Note The Ensure machines are always powered on policy
applies to assigned and unassigned machines.
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Table 8‑8. When Horizon 7 Applies the Power Policy (Continued)
Desktop Pool Type The power policy is applied ...
Automated pool with floating assignment When a machine is not in use and after a user logs off.
When you configure the Power off or Suspend power policy for
a floating-assignment desktop pool, set Automatically logoff
after disconnect to Immediately to prevent discarded or
orphaned sessions.
Manual pool with dedicated assignment To unassigned machines only.
On assigned machines, power operations are initiated by
session management. Virtual machines are powered on when a
user requests an assigned machine and are powered off or
suspended when the user logs off.
Note The Ensure machines are always powered on policy
applies to assigned and unassigned machines.
Manual pool with floating assignment When a machine is not in use and after a user logs off.
When you configure the Power off or Suspend power policy for
a floating-assignment desktop pool, set Automatically logoff
after disconnect to Immediately to prevent discarded or
orphaned sessions.
How Horizon 7 applies the configured power policy to automated pools depends on whether a machine is
available. See How Power Policies Affect Automated Desktop Pools for more information.
Configure Dedicated Machines To Be Suspended After Users
Disconnect
The Suspend power policy causes virtual machines to be suspended when a user logs off, but not when
a user disconnects. You can also configure machines in a dedicated pool to be suspended when a user
disconnects from a desktop without logging off. Using suspend when users disconnect helps to conserve
resources.
To enable suspend on disconnect for dedicated machines, you must set an attribute in View LDAP.
Procedure
1Start the ADSI Edit utility on your Connection Server host.
2In the console tree, select Connect to.
3In the Select or type a domain or server field, type the server name as localhost:389
4Under Connection point, click Select or type a distinguished name or naming context, type the
distinguished name as DC=vdi,DC=vmware,DC=int, and click OK.
The ADAM ADSI Edit main window appears.
5Expand the ADAM ADSI tree and expand OU=Properties.
6Select OU=Global and select CN=Common in the right pane
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7Select Action > Properties, and under the pae-NameValuePair attribute, add the new entry
suspendOnDisconnect=1.
8Restart the VMware Horizon View Connection Server service or Connection Server.
How Power Policies Aect Automated Desktop Pools
How Horizon 7 applies the configured power policy to automated pools depends on whether a machine is
available.
A machine in an automated pool is considered available when it meets the following criteria:
nIs active
nDoes not contain a user session
nIs not assigned to a user
The Horizon Agent service running on the machine confirms the availability of the machine to Connection
Server.
When you configure an automated pool, you can specify the minimum and maximum number of virtual
machines that must be provisioned and the number of spare machines that must be kept powered on and
available at any given time.
Power Policy Examples for Automated Pools with Floating
Assignments
When you configure an automated pool with floating assignments, you can specify that a particular
number of machines must be available at a given time. The spare, available machines are always
powered on, no matter how the pool policy is set.
Power Policy Example 1
Table 8‑9 describes the floating-assignment, automated pool in this example. The pool uses a machine-
naming pattern to provision and name the machines.
Table 8‑9. Desktop Pool Settings for Automated Pool with Floating Assignment Example 1
Desktop Pool Setting Value
Number of machines (minimum) 10
Number of machines (maximum) 20
Number of spare, powered-on machines 2
Remote machine power policy Power off
When this desktop pool is provisioned, 10 machines are created, two machines are powered on and
immediately available, and eight machines are powered off.
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For each new user that connects to the pool, a machine is powered on to maintain the number of spare,
available machines. When the number of connected users exceeds eight, additional machines, up to the
maximum of 20, are created to maintain the number of spare machines. After the maximum number is
reached, the machines of the first two users who disconnect remain powered on to maintain the number
of spare machines. The machine of each subsequent user is powered off according to the power policy.
Power Policy Example 2
Table 8‑10 describes the floating-assignment, automated pool in this example. The pool uses a machine-
naming pattern to provision and name the machines.
Table 8‑10. Desktop Pool Settings for Automated Pool with Floating Assignments Example 2
Desktop Pool Setting Value
Number of machines (minimum) 5
Number of machines (maximum) 5
Number of spare, powered-on machines 2
Remote machine power policy Power off
When this desktop pool is provisioned, five machines are created, two machines are powered on and
immediately available, and three machines are powered off.
If a fourth machine in this pool is powered off, one of the existing machines is powered on. An additional
machine is not powered on because the maximum of number of machines has already been reached.
Power Policy Example for Automated Pools with Dedicated
Assignments
Unlike a powered-on machine in an automated pool with floating assignments, a powered-on machine in
an automated pool with dedicated assignments is not necessarily available. It is available only if the
machine is not assigned to a user.
Table 8‑11 describes the dedicated-assignment, automated pool in this example.
Table 8‑11. Desktop Pool Settings for Automated Pool with Dedicated Assignments Example
Desktop Pool Setting Value
Number of machines (minimum) 3
Number of machines (maximum) 5
Number of spare, powered-on machines 2
Remote machine power policy Ensure machines are always powered on
When this desktop pool is provisioned, three machines are created and powered on. If the machines are
powered off in vCenter Server, they are immediately powered on again, according to the power policy.
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After a user connects to a machine in the pool, the machine becomes permanently assigned to that user.
After the user disconnects from the machine, the machine is no longer available to any other user.
However, the Ensure machines are always powered on policy still applies. If the assigned machine is
powered off in vCenter Server, it is immediately powered on again.
When another user connects, a second machine is assigned. Because the number of spare machines
falls below the limit when the second user connects, another machine is created and powered on. An
additional machine is created and powered on each time a new user is assigned until the maximum
machine limit is reached.
Preventing Horizon 7 Power Policy Conflicts
When you use Horizon Administrator to configure a power policy, you must compare the power policy to
the settings in the guest operating system's Power Options control panel to prevent power policy conflicts.
A virtual machine can become temporarily inaccessible if the power policy configured for the machine is
not compatible with a power option configured for the guest operating system. If there are other machines
in the same pool, they can also be affected.
The following configuration is an example of a power policy conflict:
nIn Horizon Administrator, the power policy Suspend is configured for the virtual machine. This policy
causes the virtual machine to enter a suspended state when it is not in use.
nIn the Power Options control panel in the guest operating system, the option Put the Computer to
sleep is set to three minutes.
In this configuration, both Connection Server and the guest operating system can suspend the virtual
machine. The guest operating system power option might cause the virtual machine to be unavailable
when Connection Server expects it to be powered on.
Configuring 3D Rendering for Desktops
When you create or edit a desktop pool of virtual machines, you can configure 3D graphics rendering for
your desktops. Desktops can take advantage of Virtual Shared Graphics Acceleration (vSGA), Virtual
Dedicated Graphics Acceleration (vDGA), or shared GPU hardware acceleration (NVIDIA GRID vGPU).
vDGA and NVIDIA GRID vGPU are vSphere features that use physical graphics cards installed on the
ESXi hosts and manage the graphics processing unit (GPU) resources among the virtual machines.
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End users can take advantage of 3D applications for design, modeling, and multimedia, which typically
require GPU hardware to perform well. For users that do not require physical GPU, a software option
provides graphics enhancements that can support less demanding applications such as Windows AERO,
Microsoft Office, and Google Earth. Following are brief descriptions of the 3D graphics options:
NVIDIA GRID vGPU
(shared GPU hardware
acceleration)
Available with vSphere 6.0 and later, this feature allows a physical GPU on
an ESXi host to be shared among virtual machines. This feature offers
flexible hardware-accelerated 3D profiles ranging from lightweight 3D task
workers to high-end workstation graphics power users.
AMD Multiuser GPU
using vDGA
Available with vSphere 6.0 and later, this feature allows multiple virtual
machines to share an AMD GPU by making the GPU appear as multiple
PCI passthrough devices. This feature offers flexible hardware-accelerated
3D profiles, ranging from lightweight 3D task workers to high-end
workstation graphics power users.
Virtual Dedicated
Graphics Acceleration
(vDGA)
Available with vSphere 5.5 and later, this feature dedicates a single
physical GPU on an ESXi host to a single virtual machine. Use this feature
if you require high-end, hardware-accelerated workstation graphics.
Note Some Intel vDGA cards require a certain vSphere 6 version. See the
VMware Hardware Compatibility List at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php. Also, for Intel
vDGA, the Intel integrated GPU is used rather than discrete GPUs, as is
the case with other vendors.
Virtual Shared Graphics
Acceleration (vSGA)
Available with vSphere 5.1 and later, this feature allows multiple virtual
machines to share the physical GPUs on ESXi hosts. This feature is
suitable for mid-range 3D design, modeling, and multimedia applications.
Soft 3D Software-accelerated graphics, available with vSphere 5.0 and later, allows
you to run DirectX 9 and OpenGL 2.1 applications without requiring a
physical GPU. Use this feature for less demanding 3D applications such as
Windows Aero themes, Microsoft Office 2010, and Google Earth.
Because NVIDIA GRID vGPU, AMD Multiuser GPU using vDGA, and all vDGA solutions use PCI pass-
through on the ESXi host, live VMotion is not supported. vSGA and Soft 3D support live VMotion.
In some cases, if an application such as a video game or 3D benchmark forces the desktop to display in
full screen resolution, the desktop session can be disconnected. Possible workarounds include setting the
application to run in Windowed mode or matching the Horizon 7 session desktop resolution to the default
resolution expected by the application.
Requirements for All Types of 3D Rendering
To enable 3D graphics rendering, your pool deployment must meet the following requirements:
nThe virtual machines must be Windows 7 or later.
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nThe pool can use PCoIP, VMware Blast Extreme, or RDP as the default display protocol.
n3D rendering settings are disabled when the default display protocol is set to RDP and users are not
allowed to choose a protocol.
Important When you configure or edit the 3D Renderer setting, you must power off existing virtual
machines, verify that the machines are reconfigured in vCenter Server, and power on the machines to
cause the new setting to take effect. Restarting a virtual machine does not cause the new setting to take
effect.
Additional Requirements for NVIDIA GRID vGPU
With NVIDIA GRID vGPU, a single physical GPU on an ESXi host can be shared among virtual
machines. To support this type of shared GPU hardware acceleration, a pool must meet these additional
requirements:
nThe virtual machines must run on ESXi 6.0 or later hosts, be virtual hardware version 11 or later, and
be managed by vCenter Server 6.0 or later software.
You must configure the parent virtual machine or the virtual machine template to use a shared PCI
device before you create the desktop pool in Horizon 7. For detailed instructions, see the NVIDIA
GRID vGPU Deployment Guide for VMware Horizon 6.1.
nYou must install graphics drivers from the GPU vendor in the guest operating system of the virtual
machine.
Note For a list of supported GPU hardware, see the VMware Hardware Compatibility List at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php.
nYou must set the 3D Renderer option in Horizon Administrator to NVIDIA GRID vGPU.
Additional Requirements for AMD Multiuser GPU using vDGA
With AMD Multiuser GPU using vDGA, multiple virtual machines to share an AMD GPU by making the
GPU appear as multiple PCI passthrough devices. To support this type of shared GPU hardware
acceleration, a pool must meet these additional requirements:
nThe virtual machines must run on ESXi 6.0 or later hosts, be virtual hardware version 11 or later, and
be managed by vCenter Server 6.0 or later software.
nYou must enable GPU pass-through on the ESXi hosts, configure AMD SR-IOV (Single Root I/O
Virtualization), and configure the individual virtual machines to use dedicated PCI devices. See
Preparing to Use the Capabilities of AMD Multiuser GPU Using vDGA.
Note Only manual desktop pools are supported for this release.
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nYou must install graphics drivers from the GPU vendor in the guest operating system of the virtual
machine.
Note For a list of supported GPU hardware, see the VMware Hardware Compatibility List at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php.
nYou must set the 3D Renderer option in Horizon Administrator to Manage using vSphere Client.
Additional Requirements for Using vDGA
vDGA dedicates a single physical GPU on an ESXi host to a single virtual machine. To support vDGA, a
pool must meet these additional requirements:
nThe virtual machines must run on ESXi 5.5 or later hosts, be virtual hardware version 9 or later, and
be managed by vCenter Server 5.5 or later software.
You must enable GPU pass-through on the ESXi hosts and configure the individual virtual machines
to use dedicated PCI devices after the desktop pool is created in Horizon 7. You cannot configure the
parent virtual machine or template for vDGA and then create a desktop pool, because the same
physical GPU would be dedicated to every virtual machine in the pool. See "vDGA Installation" in the
VMware white paper about graphics acceleration.
For linked-clone virtual machines, vDGA settings are preserved after refresh, recompose, and
rebalance operations.
nYou must install graphics drivers from the GPU vendor in the guest operating system of the virtual
machine.
Note For a list of supported GPU hardware, see the VMware Hardware Compatibility List at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php.
nYou must set the 3D Renderer option to Manage using vSphere Client.
Additional Requirements for Using vSGA
vSGA allows multiple virtual machines to share the physical GPUs on ESXi hosts. To support vSGA, a
pool must meet these additional requirements:
nThe virtual machines must run on ESXi 5.1 or later hosts and be managed by vCenter Server 5.1 or
later software.
nGPU graphics cards and the associated vSphere Installation Bundles (VIBs) must be installed on the
ESXi hosts. For a list of supported GPU hardware, see the VMware Hardware Compatibility List at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php.
nWindows 7 machines must be virtual hardware version 8 or later. Windows 8 machines must be
virtual hardware version 9 or later. Windows 10 machines must be virtual hardware version 10 or
later.
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nYou can set the 3D Renderer option to any of the following settings: Manage using vSphere Client,
Automatic, or Hardware. See also Video RAM Configuration Options for the 3D Renderer.
Automatic uses hardware acceleration if there is a capable and available hardware GPU in the ESXi
host. If a hardware GPU is not available, the virtual machine uses software 3D rendering for any 3D
tasks.
Additional Requirements for Using Soft 3D
To support software 3D rendering, a pool must meet these additional requirements:
nThe virtual machines must run on ESXi 5.0 or later hosts and be managed by vCenter Server 5.0 or
later software.
nThe machines must be virtual hardware version 8 or later.
nYou must set the 3D Renderer option to Software. See also Video RAM Configuration Options for
the 3D Renderer.
Video RAM Configuration Options for the 3D Renderer
When you enable the 3D Renderer setting, if you select the Automatic, Software, or Hardware option,
you can configure the amount of VRAM that is assigned to the virtual machines in the pool by moving the
slider in the Configure VRAM for 3D guests dialog box. The minimum VRAM size is 64MB. The default
VRAM amount depends on the virtual hardware version:
nFor virtual hardware version 8 (vSphere 5.0) virtual machines, the default VRAM size is 64MB, and
you can configure a maximum size of 128MB.
nFor virtual hardware version 9 (vSphere 5.1) and 10 (vSphere 5.5 Update 1) virtual machines, the
default VRAM size is 96MB, and you can configure a maximum size of 512MB.
nFor virtual hardware version 11 (vSphere 6.0) virtual machines, the default VRAM size is 96MB, and
you can configure a maximum size of 128MB. In vSphere 6.0 and later virtual machines, this setting
refers only to the amount of display memory in the graphics card and therefore has a lower maximum
setting than earlier virtual hardware versions, which included both display memory and guest memory
for storing 3D objects.
The VRAM settings that you configure in Horizon Administrator take precedence over the VRAM settings
that can be configured for the virtual machines in vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client, unless you
select the Manage using vSphere Client option.
For more information about the Automatic, Software, or Hardware 3D rendering options, see 3D
Renderer Options.
3D Renderer Options
The 3D Renderer setting for desktop pools provides options that let you configure graphics rendering in
different ways.
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The following table describes the differences between the various types of 3D rendering options available
in Horizon Administrator but does not provide complete information for configuring virtual machines and
ESXi hosts for Virtual Shared Graphics Acceleration (vSGA), Virtual Dedicated Graphics Acceleration
(vDGA), AMD Multiuser GPU Using vDGA, and NVIDIA GRID vGPU. These tasks must be done with
vSphere Web Client before you attempt to create desktop pools in Horizon Administrator. For instructions
about these tasks for vSGA and vDGA, see the VMware white paper about graphics acceleration. For
instructions about NVIDIA GRID vGPU, see the NVIDIA GRID vGPU Deployment Guide for VMware
Horizon 6.1. For instructions about AMD Multiuser GPU Using vDGA, see the Preparing to Use the
Capabilities of AMD Multiuser GPU Using vDGA.
Table 8‑12. 3D Renderer Options for Pools Running on vSphere 5.1 or Later
Option Description
Manage using
vSphere Client
The 3D Renderer option that is set in vSphere Web Client (or vSphere Client in vSphere 5.1 or later) for a
virtual machine determines the type of 3D graphics rendering that takes place. Horizon 7 does not control
3D rendering.
In the vSphere Web Client, you can configure the Automatic, Software, or Hardware options. These
options have the same effect as they do when you set them in Horizon Administrator.
Use this setting when configuring vDGA and AMD Multiuser GPU Using vDGA. This setting is also an
option for vSGA.
When you select the Manage using vSphere Client option, the Configure VRAM for 3D Guests, Max
number of monitors, and Max resolution of any one monitor settings are inactive in Horizon
Administrator. You can configure the amount of memory in vSphere Web Client.
Automatic 3D rendering is enabled. The ESXi host controls the type of 3D rendering that takes place.
For example, the ESXi host reserves GPU hardware resources on a first-come, first-served basis as virtual
machines are powered on. If all GPU hardware resources are already reserved when a virtual machine is
powered on, ESXi uses the software renderer for that machine.
This setting is an option when configuring vSGA.
The ESXi host allocates VRAM to a virtual machine based on the value that is set in the Configure VRAM
for 3D Guests dialog box.
Software 3D rendering is enabled. The ESXi host uses software 3D graphics rendering. If a GPU graphics card is
installed on the ESXi host, this pool will not use it.
Use this setting to configure Soft 3D.
The ESXi host allocates VRAM to a virtual machine based on the value that is set in the Configure VRAM
for 3D Guests dialog box.
Hardware 3D rendering is enabled. The ESXi host reserves GPU hardware resources on a first-come, first-served
basis as virtual machines are powered on.
This setting is an option when configuring vSGA.
The ESXi host allocates VRAM to a virtual machine based on the value that is set in the Configure VRAM
for 3D Guests dialog box.
Important If you configure the Hardware option, consider these potential constraints:
nIf a user tries to connect to a machine when all GPU hardware resources are reserved, the virtual
machine will not power on, and the user will receive an error message.
nIf you use vMotion to move the machine to an ESXi host that does not have GPU hardware
configured, the virtual machine will not power on.
When you configure hardware-based 3D rendering, you can examine the GPU resources that are
allocated to each virtual machine on an ESXi host. For details, see Examining GPU Resources on an ESXi
Host.
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Table 8‑12. 3D Renderer Options for Pools Running on vSphere 5.1 or Later (Continued)
Option Description
NVIDIA GRID vGPU 3D rendering is enabled for NVIDIA GRID vGPU . The ESXi host reserves GPU hardware resources on a
first-come, first-served basis as virtual machines are powered on. If a user tries to connect to a machine
when all GPU hardware resources are being used by other virtual machines on the host, Connection
Server will attempt to move the virtual machine to another ESXi host in the cluster before powering on.
Use this setting when configuring NVIDIA GRID vGPU.
When you select the NVIDIA GRID vGPU option, the Configure VRAM for 3D Guests, Max number of
monitors, and Max resolution of any one monitor settings are inactive in Horizon Administrator. When
you configure the parent virtual machine or virtual machine template with vSphere Web Client, you are
prompted to reserve all memory.
Important If you configure the NVIDIA GRID vGPU option, consider these potential constraints:
nThe virtual machine cannot be suspended or resumed. Therefore the Remote Machine Power Policy
option for suspending the virtual machine is not available.
nIf you use vMotion to move the machine to an ESXi host that does not have GPU hardware
configured, the virtual machine will not power on. Live vMotion is not available.
nAll ESXi hosts in the cluster must be version 6.0 or later, and the virtual machines must be hardware
version 11 or later.
nIf an ESXi cluster contains a host that is NVIDIA GRID vGPU enabled and a host that is not NVIDIA
GRID vGPU enabled, the hosts display a yellow (warning) status in the Horizon Administrator
Dashboard. If a user tries to connect to a machine when all GPU hardware resources are being used
by other virtual machines on the host, Connection Server will attempt to move the virtual machine to
another ESXi host in the cluster before powering on. In this case, hosts that are not NVIDIA GRID
vGPU enabled cannot be used for this type of dynamic migration.
Disabled 3D rendering is inactive.
Table 8‑13. 3D Renderer Options for Pools Running on vSphere 5.0
Option Description
Enabled The 3D Renderer option is enabled. The ESXi host uses software 3D graphics rendering.
When software rendering is configured, the default VRAM size is 64MB, the minimum size. In the
Configure VRAM for 3D Guests dialog box, you can use the slider to increase the amount of VRAM that
is reserved. With software rendering, the ESXi host allocates up to a maximum of 128MB per virtual
machine. If you set a higher VRAM size, it is ignored.
Disabled 3D rendering is inactive.
If a desktop pool is running on earlier vSphere version than 5.0, the 3D Renderer setting is inactive and
is not available in Horizon Administrator.
Best Practices for Configuring 3D Rendering
The 3D rendering options and other pool settings offer various advantages and drawbacks. Select the
option that best supports your vSphere hardware infrastructure and your users' requirements for graphics
rendering.
Note This topic provides an overview of the controls you find in Horizon Administrator. For detailed
information about all the various choices and requirements for 3D rendering, see the VMware white paper
about graphics acceleration.
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When to Choose the Automatic Option
The Automatic option is the best choice for many Horizon 7 deployments that require 3D rendering.
vSGA (Virtual Shared Graphics Acceleration)-enabled virtual machines can dynamically switch between
software and hardware 3D rendering, without your having to reconfigure. This option ensures that some
type of 3D rendering takes place even when GPU resources are completely reserved. In a mixed cluster
of ESXi 5.1 and ESXi 5.0 hosts, this option ensures that a virtual machine is powered on successfully and
uses 3D rendering even if, for example, vMotion moved the virtual machine to an ESXi 5.0 host.
The only drawback with the Automatic option is that you cannot easily tell whether a virtual machine is
using hardware or software 3D rendering.
When to Choose the Hardware Option
The Hardware option guarantees that every virtual machine in the pool uses hardware 3D rendering,
provided that GPU resources are available on the ESXi hosts. This option might be the best choice when
all your users run graphically intensive applications. You can use this option when configuring vSGA
(Virtual Shared Graphics Acceleration).
With the Hardware option, you must strictly control your vSphere environment. All ESXi hosts must be
version 5.1 or later and must have GPU graphics cards installed.
When all GPU resources on an ESXi host are reserved, Horizon 7 cannot power on a virtual machine for
the next user who tries to log in to a desktop. You must manage the allocation of GPU resources and the
use of vMotion to ensure that resources are available for your desktops.
When to Choose the Option to Manage Using vSphere Client
When you select the Manage using vSphere Client option, you can use vSphere Web Client to
configure individual virtual machines with different options and VRAM values.
nFor vSGA (Virtual Shared Graphics Acceleration), you can support a mixed configuration of 3D
rendering and VRAM sizes for virtual machines in a pool.
nFor vDGA (Virtual Dedicated Graphics Acceleration), each virtual machine must be individually
configured to share a specific PCI device with the ESXi host and all memory must be reserved. For
more information, see Preparing for vDGA Capabilities.
All ESXi hosts must be version 5.5 or later and must have GPU graphics cards installed.
Note Some Intel vDGA cards require a certain vSphere 6 version. See the VMware Hardware
Compatibility List at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php. Also, for Intel vDGA,
the Intel integrated GPU is used rather than discrete GPUs, as is the case with other vendors.
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nFor AMD Multiuser GPU using vDGA, each virtual machine must be individually configured to share a
specific PCI device with the ESXi host and all memory must be reserved. This feature allows a PCI
device to appear to be multiple separate physical PCI devices so that the GPU can be shared
between 2 to 15 users. For more information, see Preparing to Use the Capabilities of AMD Multiuser
GPU Using vDGA.
All ESXi hosts must be version 6.0 or later and must have GPU graphics cards installed.
You might also choose this option if you want to explicitly manage graphics settings of clones and linked
clones by having the clones inherit settings from the parent virtual machine.
When to Choose the NVIDIA GRID vGPU Option
With the NVIDIA GRID vGPU option, you can achieve a higher consolidation ratio of virtual machines on
an NVIDIA GRID vGPU-enabled ESXi host than is possible by using vDGA, while maintaining the same
performance level. As with vDGA (Dedicated Virtual Graphics), the ESXi and virtual machine also use
GPU pass-through for NVIDIA GRID vGPU.
Note To improve virtual machine consolidation ratios, you can set the ESXi host to use consolidation
mode. Edit the /etc/vmware/config file on the ESXi host and add the following entry:
vGPU.consolidation = "true"
By default, the ESXi host assigns virtual machines to the physical GPU with the fewest virtual machines
already assigned. This is called performance mode. If you would rather have the ESXi host assign virtual
machines to the same physical GPU until the maximum number of virtual machines is reached before
placing virtual machines on the next physical GPU, you can use consolidation mode.
Because a GPU does not need to be dedicated to one specific virtual machine, with the NVIDIA GRID
vGPU option, you can create and configure a parent virtual machine or virtual machine template to be
NVIDIA GRID vGPU-enabled and then create a desktop pool of virtual machines that can share the same
physical GPU.
If all GPU resources on an ESXi host are being used by other virtual machines, when the next user tries
to log in to a desktop, Horizon 7 can move the virtual machine to another NVIDIA GRID vGPU-enabled
ESXi server in the cluster and then power on the virtual machine. All ESXi hosts must be version 6.0 or
later and must have GPU graphics cards installed.
For more information, see Preparing for NVIDIA GRID vGPU Capabilities.
When to Choose the Software Option
Select the Software option if you have ESXi 5.0 hosts only, or if ESXi 5.1 or later hosts do not have GPU
graphics cards, or if your users only run applications such as AERO and Microsoft Office, which do not
require hardware graphics acceleration.
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Configuring Desktop Settings to Manage GPU Resources
You can configure other desktop settings to ensure that GPU resources are not wasted when users are
not actively using them.
For floating pools, set a session timeout so that GPU resources are freed up for other users when a user
is not using the desktop.
For dedicated pools, you can configure the Automatically logoff after disconnect setting to
Immediately and a Suspend power policy if these settings are appropriate for your users. For example,
do not use these settings for a pool of researchers who execute long-running simulations. Note that the
Suspend power policy is not available if you use the NVIDIA GRID vGPU option.
Preparing for vDGA Capabilities
Virtual Dedicated Graphics Acceleration (vDGA) provides direct pass-through to a physical GPU,
providing a user with unrestricted, dedicated access to a single vGPU. Before you attempt to create a
desktop pool that has vDGA capabilities, you must perform certain configuration tasks on the virtual
machines and ESXi hosts.
This overview is an outline of tasks you must perform in vSphere before you can create or configure
desktop pools in Horizon Administrator. For complete information and detailed procedures, see the
VMware white paper about graphics acceleration.
Note Some Intel vDGA cards require a certain vSphere 6 version. See the VMware Hardware
Compatibility List at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php. Also, for Intel vDGA, the
Intel integrated GPU is used rather than discrete GPUs, as is the case with other vendors.
1 Install the graphics card on the ESXi host.
2 Verify that VT-d or AMD IOMMU is enabled on the ESXi host.
3 Enable pass-through for the GPU in the ESXi host configuration and reboot.
4 Add a PCI device to the virtual machine and select the appropriate PCI device to enable GPU pass-
through on the virtual machine.
5 Reserve all memory when creating the virtual machine.
6 Configure virtual machine video card 3D capabilities.
7 Obtain the GPU drivers from the GPU vendor and install the GPU device drivers in the guest
operating system of the virtual machine.
8 Install VMware Tools and Horizon Agent in the guest operating system and reboot.
After you perform these tasks, you must add the virtual machine to a manual desktop pool so that you
can access the guest operating system using PCoIP or VMware Blast Extreme. In a PCoIP or VMware
Blast session, you can then activate the NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel display adapter in the guest operating
system.
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Preparing for NVIDIA GRID vGPU Capabilities
NVIDIA GRID vGPU provides direct access to the physical GPU on an ESXi host—so multiple users can
share a single GPU—using native graphics card drivers. Before you attempt to create a desktop pool that
has NVIDIA GRID vGPU capabilities, you must perform certain configuration tasks on the virtual
machines and ESXi hosts.
This overview is an outline of tasks you must perform in vSphere before you can create or configure
desktop pools in Horizon Administrator. For complete information and detailed procedures, see the
NVIDIA GRID vGPU Deployment Guide for VMware Horizon 6.1.
1 Install the graphics card on the ESXi host.
2 Install the GPU vSphere Installation Bundle (VIB).
3 Ensure VMware Tools and the Virtual Hardware (vSphere Compatability) levels are current.
4 In the vSphere Web Client, add a shared PCI device to the virtual machine and select the appropriate
NVIDIA device.
5 After you add a shared PCI device, you see a list of all supported graphics profile types that are
available from the GPU card on the ESXi host. Select the appropriate profile for your use case.
6 In the Memory section of the virtual machine, select "Reserve all guest memory (All locked)."
7 Install Horizon Agent in the guest operating system and reboot.
8 Either install the Horizon Agent Direct Connect software or apply https://support.microsoft.com/en-
us/kb/3080079. The reason for this is once the NVIDIA drivers are loaded, you will lose access to the
VM through the vSphere Console.
9 Obtain the GPU drivers from the GPU vendor and install the GPU device drivers in the guest
operating system of the virtual machine. Perform this step from an RDP or PCOIP session, as the
vSphere Console access will disappear during the driver install.
After you perform these tasks, you must add the virtual machine to a manual pool Horizon 7 desktop pool
so that you can access the guest operating system using PCoIP. In a PCoIP session, you can then
activate the NVIDIA display adapter in the guest operating system.
At this point, you can configure the virtual machine to be a template or take a snapshot of the virtual
machine for use as a base image in a View Composer linked-clone pool. (You must power off the virtual
machine before taking the snapshot.) When you use the Add Desktop Pool wizard, after you select the
NVIDIA GRID vGPU option for 3D Renderer, only NVIDIA GRID vGPU-enabled ESXi hosts and NVIDIA
GRID vGPU-enabled virtual machine templates and snapshots appear for selection in the wizard.
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Preparing to Use the Capabilities of AMD Multiuser GPU Using
vDGA
AMD Multiuser GPU using vDGA provides direct pass-through to a physical GPU, providing a user with
unrestricted, dedicated access to a single GPU. Before you attempt to create a desktop pool that has
capabilities to use AMD Multiuser GPU using vDGA, you must perform certain configuration tasks on the
virtual machines and ESXi hosts.
This overview is an outline of tasks you must perform in vSphere before you can create or configure
desktop pools in Horizon Administrator. For information about enabling GPU device pass-through and
adding a PCI device to a virtual machine, see the VMware white paper about graphics acceleration.
1 Install the graphics card on the ESXi host.
2 Install the GPU vSphere Installation Bundle (VIB).
3 Verify that SR-IOV and VT-d or AMD IOMMU are enabled on the ESXi host.
4 Use the esxcfg-module command to configure the graphics card for SR-IOV (Single Root I/O
Virtualization) .
See Configuring AMD Multiuser GPU Using vDGA.
5 Reboot the ESXi host.
6 Add a PCI device to the virtual machine and select the appropriate PCI device to enable GPU pass-
through on the virtual machine.
7 Reserve all memory when creating the virtual machine.
8 Configure virtual machine video card 3D capabilities.
9 Obtain the GPU drivers from the GPU vendor and install the GPU device drivers in the guest
operating system of the virtual machine.
10 Install VMware Tools and Horizon Agent in the guest operating system and reboot.
After you perform these tasks, you must add the virtual machine to a manual desktop pool so that you
can access the guest operating system using PCoIP or VMware Blast Extreme. If you attempt to access
the virtual machine using a vSphere, the display will show a black screen.
Configuring AMD Multiuser GPU Using vDGA
You use the esxcfg-module command-line command to configure such parameters as the number of
users who can share the GPU, the amount of frame buffer allocated to each user, and some performance
control.
Syntax
esxcfg-module -s "adapter1_conf=bus#,device#,function#,number_of_VFs,FB_size,time_slice,mode" amdgpuv
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Usage Notes
The vicfg-module command supports setting and retrieving VMkernel module options on an ESXi host.
For general reference information about this command, go to
http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-60/topic/com.vmware.vcli.ref.doc/vicfg-module.html.
Required Flags
You must specify several flags when configuring AMD Multiuser GPU Using vDGA. If the command does
not include all the required flags, no error message is provided, but the configuration defaults to a simple
4 SR-IOV device configuration.
Table 8‑14. Flags for Configuring AMD SR-IOV
Flag Description
bus# Bus number in decimal format.
device# PCIe device ID for the supported AMD card, in decimal format. To see a list, use the command lspci | grep
-i display.
For example, for a system that has two AMD GPU cards, you might see the following output when you run this
command:
[root@host:~] lspci | grep -i display
0000:04:00.0 Display controller:
0000:82:00.0 Display controller:
In this example, the PCIe device IDs are 04 and 82. Note that these IDs are listed in hexadecimal format and
must be converted to decimal format for use in the vicfg-module command .
AMD S7150 cards support only a single GPU per card, and so the device ID and function ID are 0 for these
cards.
function# Function number in decimal format.
number_of_VFs Number of VFs (virtual functions), from 2 to 15. This number represents the number users who will share the
GPU.
FB_size Amount of fame buffer memory, in MB, allocated to each VF. To determine the size, take the overall amount of
video memory on the card and divide that amount by the number of VFs. Then round that number to the
nearest number that is a multiple of 8. For example, for an AMD S7150 card, which has 8000 MB, you could
use the following settings;
nFor 2 VFs, use 4096.
nFor 4 VFs, use 2048.
nFor 8 VFs, use 1024.
nFor 15 VFs, use 544.
time_slice Interval between VF switches, in microseconds. This setting adjusts the delay in queuing and processing
commands between the SR-IOV devices. Use a value between 3000 and 40000. Adjust this value if you see
significant stuttering when multiple SR-IOV desktops are active.
mode Following are the valid values: 0 = reclaimed performance; 1 = fixed percentage performance.
Important After you run the esxcfg-module command, you must reboot the ESXi host for the settings
to take effect.
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Examples
1 For a single AMD S7150 card on PCI ID 4 shared between 8 users:
esxcfg-module -s "adapter1_conf=4,0,0,8,1024,4000" amdgpuv
2 For a single server with two AMD S7150 cards on PCI ID 4 and PCI ID 82 shared between 4 power
users:
esxcfg-module -s "adapter1_conf=3,0,0,2,4096,4000 adapter2_conf=130,0,0,2,4096,4000" amdgpuv
3 For a single server with two AMD S7150 cards, you can set each card with different parameters. For
instance if your View environment needs to support 2 power users and 16 task workers:
esxcfg-module -s "adapter1_conf=3,0,0,2,4096,4000 adapter2_conf=130,0,0,15,544,7000" amdgpuv
4 Enable the SR-IOV option on the ESXi host.
Some hosts have SR-IOV as a configurable option in the BIOS.
Examining GPU Resources on an ESXi Host
To better manage the GPU resources that are available on an ESXi host, you can examine the current
GPU resource reservation. The ESXi command-line query utility, gpuvm, lists the GPUs that are installed
on an ESXi host and displays the amount of GPU memory that is reserved for each virtual machine on
the host. Note that this GPU memory reservation is not the same as virtual machine VRAM size.
To run the utility, type gpuvm from a shell prompt on the ESXi host. You can use a console on the host or
an SSH connection.
For example, the utility might display the following output:
~ # gpuvm
Xserver unix:0, GPU maximum memory 2076672KB
pid 118561, VM "JB-w7-64-FC3", reserved 131072KB of GPU memory.
pid 64408, VM "JB-w7-64-FC5", reserved 261120KB of GPU memory.
GPU memory left 1684480KB.
Similarly, you can use the nvidia-smi command on the ESXi host to see a list of NVIDIA GRID vGPU-
enabled virtual machines, the amount of frame buffer memory consumed, and the slot ID of the physical
GPU that the virtual machine is using.
Prevent Access to Horizon 7 Desktops Through RDP
In certain Horizon 7 environments, it is a priority to prohibit access to Horizon 7 desktops through the
RDP display protocol. You can prevent users and administrators from using RDP to access Horizon 7
desktops by configuring pool settings and a group policy setting.
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By default, while a user is logged in to a remote desktop session, you can use RDP to connect to the
virtual machine. The RDP connection terminates the remote desktop session, and the user's unsaved
data and settings might be lost. The user cannot log in to the desktop until the external RDP connection is
closed. To avoid this situation, disable the AllowDirectRDP setting.
Note Remote Desktop Services must be started on the virtual machine that you use to create pools and
on the virtual machines that are deployed in the pools. Remote Desktop Services are required for
Horizon Agent installation, SSO, and other Horizon session-management operations.
Prerequisites
Verify that the Horizon Agent Configuration Administrative Template (ADMX) file is installed in Active
Directory. See "Using Horizon 7 Group Policy Administrative Template Files" in the Configuring Remote
Desktop Features in Horizon 7.
Procedure
1Select PCoIP as the display protocol that you want Horizon Connection Server to use to
communicate with Horizon Client devices.
Option Description
Create a desktop pool a In Horizon Administrator, start the Add Desktop Pool wizard.
b On the Desktop Pool Settings page, select VMware Blast or PCoIP as the
default display protocol.
Edit an existing desktop pool a In Horizon Administrator, select the desktop pool and click Edit.
b On the Desktop Pool Settings tab, select VMware Blast or PCoIP as the
default display protocol.
2For the Allow users to choose protocol setting, select No.
3Prevent devices that are not running Horizon Client from connecting directly to Horizon desktops
through RDP by disabling the AllowDirectRDP group policy setting.
a On your Active Directory server, open the Group Policy Management Console and select
Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Classic Administrative
Templates > VMware Horizon Agent Configuration.
b Disable the AllowDirectRDP setting.
Deploying Large Desktop Pools
When many users require the same desktop image, you can create one large automated pool from a
single template or parent virtual machine. By using a single base image and pool name, you can avoid
dividing the machines arbitrarily into smaller groups that must be managed separately. This strategy
simplifies your deployment and administration tasks.
To support large pools, you can create pools on ESXi clusters that contain up to 32 ESXi hosts. You can
also configure a pool to use multiple network labels, making the IP addresses of multiple port groups
available for the virtual machines in the pool.
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Configuring Desktop Pools on Clusters With More Than Eight
Hosts
In vSphere 5.1 and later, you can deploy a linked clone desktop pool on a cluster that contains up to 32
ESXi hosts. All ESXi hosts in the cluster must be version 5.1 or later. The hosts can use VMFS or NFS
datastores. VMFS datastores must be VMFS5 or later.
In vSphere 5.0, you can deploy linked clones on a cluster that contains more than eight ESXi hosts, but
you must store the replica disks on NFS datastores. You can store replica disks on VMFS datastores only
with clusters that contain eight or fewer hosts.
In vSphere 5.0, the following rules apply when you configure a linked clone pool on a cluster that contains
more than eight hosts:
nIf you store replica disks on the same datastores as OS disks, you must store the replica and OS
disks on NFS datastores.
nIf you store replica disks on separate datastores than OS disks, the replica disks must be stored on
NFS datastores. The OS disks can be stored on NFS or VMFS datastores.
nIf you store View Composer persistent disks on separate datastores, the persistent disks can be
configured on NFS or VMFS datastores.
In vSphere 4.1 and earlier releases, you can deploy desktop pools only with clusters that contain eight or
fewer hosts.
Assigning Multiple Network Labels to a Desktop Pool
In View 5.2 and later releases, you can configure an automated desktop pool to use multiple network
labels. You can assign multiple network labels to a linked-clone pool or an automated pool that contains
full virtual machines.
In past releases, virtual machines in the pool inherited the network labels that were used by the NICs on
the parent virtual machine or template. A typical parent virtual machine or template contains one NIC and
one network label. A network label defines a port group and VLAN. The netmask of one VLAN typically
provides a limited range of available IP addresses.
In View 5.2 and later releases, you can assign network labels that are available in vCenter Server for all
the ESXi hosts in the cluster where the desktop pool is deployed. By configuring multiple network labels
for the pool, you greatly expand the number of IP addresses that can be assigned to the virtual machines
in the pool.
You must use Horizon PowerCLI cmdlets to assign multiple network labels to a pool. You cannot perform
this task in Horizon Administrator.
For more information about Horizon PowerCLI cmdlets, read the VMware PowerCLI Cmdlets Reference.
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For information on the API specifications to create advanced functions and scripts to use with Horizon
PowerCLI, see the View API Reference at the VMware Developer Center.
For more information on sample scripts that you can use to create your own Horizon PowerCLI scripts,
see the Horizon PowerCLI community on GitHub.
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Managing Desktop Pools and
Virtual Desktops 9
In Horizon Administrator, you can manage desktop pools, virtual machine-based desktops, physical
machine-based desktops, and desktop sessions.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nManaging Desktop Pools
nManaging Virtual Machine-Based Desktops
nExport Horizon 7 Information to External Files
Managing Desktop Pools
In Horizon Administrator you can perform administrative tasks on a desktop pool such as editing its
properties, enabling, disabling, or deleting the pool.
Edit a Desktop Pool
You can edit an existing desktop pool to configure settings such as the number of spare machines,
datastores, and customization specifications.
Prerequisites
Familiarize yourself with the desktop pool settings that you can and cannot change after a desktop pool is
created. See Modifying Settings in an Existing Desktop Pool and Fixed Settings in an Existing Desktop
Pool.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Select a desktop pool and click Edit.
3Click a tab in the Edit dialog box and reconfigure desktop pool options.
4Click OK.
If you change the image of an instant-clone desktop pool, the image publishing operation starts
immediately. In Horizon Administrator, the summary page for the desktop pool shows the state for the
pending image as Publishing - Infrastructure Change.
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If you change the cluster of an instant-clone desktop pool, new replica and parent VMs are created in the
new cluster. You can initiate a push image using the same image to have new clones created in the new
cluster. However, the template VM, which is used in the cloning process, remains in the old cluster. You
can put the ESXi host that the template VM is on in maintenance mode but you cannot migrate the
template VM. To completely remove all infrastructure VMs, including the template VM, from the old
cluster, you can initiate a push image using a new image.
Modifying Settings in an Existing Desktop Pool
After you create a desktop pool, you can change certain configuration settings.
Table 9‑1. Editable Settings in an Existing Desktop Pool
Configuration Tab Description
General Edit desktop pool-naming options and storage policy management settings. Storage policy management
settings determine whether to use a Virtual SAN datastore. If you do not use Virtual SAN, you can select
separate datastores for replica and OS disks.
Note For View Composer linked clones, if you change to using Virtual SAN, you must use a rebalance
operation to migrate all virtual machines in the desktop pool to the Virtual SAN datastore.
Desktop Pool Settings Edit machine settings such as the power policy, display protocol, and Adobe Flash settings. Power policy
is not available for instant clones. Instant clones are always powered on.
Provisioning Settings Edit desktop pool provisioning options and add machines to the desktop pool.
This tab is available for automated desktop pools only.
vCenter Settings Edit the virtual machine template or default base image. Add or change the vCenter Server instance,
ESXi host or cluster, datastores, and other vCenter features.
The new values only affect virtual machines that are created after the settings are changed. The new
settings do not affect existing virtual machines.
This tab is available for automated desktop pools only.
Guest Customization If Sysprep was selected, you can change the customization specification. In Horizon 7.0, Sysprep is not
available to instant clones.
If QuickPrep was selected, you can change the Active Directory domain and container and specify the
power-off and post-synchronization scripts.
If ClonePrep was selected, you can change the Active Directory container and specify the power-off and
post-synchronization scripts. You cannot change the domain.
Note For instant clones, if you change the power-off or post-synchronization script name, or their
parameters, and the new script exists in the current image, the new script is executed and the new
parameters are used when a new clone is created. If the new script does not exist in the current image,
you must select or create an image that has the new script and do a push image.
For View Composer linked clones, if you change the power-off or post-synchronization script name, the
change applies at the next recompose operation. However, changes to the power-off script parameters or
the post-synchronization script parameters do apply to the clones that are created with the current
snapshot.
This tab is available for automated desktop pools only.
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Table 9‑1. Editable Settings in an Existing Desktop Pool (Continued)
Configuration Tab Description
Advanced Storage >
Use View Storage
Accelerator
If you select or deselect Use View Storage Accelerator, or reschedule when the View Storage
Accelerator digest files are regenerated, the settings do affect existing virtual machines. If you modify
View Storage Accelerator settings for an existing desktop pool, the changes do not take effect until the
virtual machines in the desktop pool are powered off. See Configure View Storage Accelerator for View
Composer Linked Clones.
Note If you select Use View Storage Accelerator on an existing linked-clone desktop pool, and the
replica was not previously enabled for View Storage Accelerator, this feature might not take effect right
away. View Storage Accelerator cannot be enabled while the replica is in use. You can force View
Storage Accelerator to be enabled by recomposing the desktop pool to a new parent virtual machine.
This option is automatically enabled on instant clones.
Advanced Storage >
Reclaim VM disk
space
If you select or deselect Reclaim VM disk space, or reschedule when the virtual machine disk space
reclamation occurs, the new settings do affect existing virtual machines if they were created with space-
efficient disks. See Reclaim Disk Space on View Composer Linked Clones.
This option does not apply to instant clones.
Advanced Storage >
Use native NFS
snapshots (VAAI)
If you select or deselect Use native NFS snapshots (VAAI), the new setting only affects virtual
machines that are created after the settings are changed. You can change existing virtual machines to
become native NFS snapshot clones by recomposing and, if needed, rebalancing the desktop pool. See
Using VAAI Storage for View Composer Linked Clones.
This option is not supported for instant clones.
Advanced Storage >
Transparent Page
Sharing Scope
If you change the Transparent Page Sharing Scope setting, the new setting takes effect the next time
the virtual machine is powered on.
Select the level at which to allow transparent page sharing (TPS). The choices are Virtual Machine (the
default), Pool, Pod, or Global. If you turn on TPS for all the machines in the pool, pod, or globally, the
ESXi host eliminates redundant copies of memory pages that result if the machines use the same guest
operating system or applications.
Page sharing happens on the ESXi host. For example, if you enable TPS at the pool level but the pool is
spread across multiple ESXi hosts, only virtual machines on the same host and within the same pool will
share pages. At the global level, all machines managed by Horizon 7 on the same ESXi host can share
memory pages, regardless of which pool the machines reside in.
Note The default setting is not to share memory pages among machines because TPS can pose a
security risk. Research indicates that TPS could possibly be abused to gain unauthorized access to data
in very limited configuration scenarios.
This option is automatically enabled on instant clones.
If you edit a instant-clone desktop pool to add or remove datastores, rebalancing of the VMs happens
automatically when a new clone must be created, for example, when a user logs off or when you increase
the size of the pool. If you want rebalancing to happen faster, take the following actions:
nIf you remove a datastore, manually remove the desktops on that datastore so that the new desktops
will be created on the remaining datastores.
nIf you add a datastore, manually remove some desktops from the original datastores so that the new
desktops will be created on the new datastore. You can also remove all desktops so that when they
are recreated, they will be evenly distributed across the datastores.
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Fixed Settings in an Existing Desktop Pool
After you create a desktop pool, you cannot change certain configuration settings.
Table 9‑2. Fixed Settings in an Existing Desktop Pool
Setting Description
Pool type After you create an automated, manual, or RDS desktop pool, you cannot change the
pool type.
User assignment You cannot switch between dedicated assignments and floating assignments.
Type of virtual machine You cannot switch between full virtual machines and linked-clone virtual machines.
Pool ID You cannot change the pool ID.
Machine-naming and provisioning
method
To add virtual machines to a desktop pool, you must use the provisioning method that
was used to create the pool. You cannot switch between specifying machine names
manually and using a naming pattern.
If you specify names manually, you can add names to the list of machine names.
If you use a naming pattern, you can increase the maximum number of machines.
vCenter settings You cannot change vCenter settings for existing virtual machines.
You can change vCenter settings in the Edit dialog box, but the values affect only new
virtual machines that are created after the settings are changed.
View Composer persistent disks You cannot configure persistent disks after a linked-clone desktop pool is created
without persistent disks.
View Composer customization method After you customize a linked-clone desktop pool with QuickPrep or Sysprep, you cannot
switch to the other customization method when you create or recompose virtual
machines in the pool.
Disable or Enable a Desktop Pool
When you disable a desktop pool, the pool is no longer presented to users and pool provisioning is
stopped. Users have no access to the pool. After you disable a pool, you can enable it again.
You can disable a desktop pool to prevent users from accessing their remote desktops while you prepare
the desktops for use. If a desktop pool is no longer needed, you can use the disable feature to withdraw
the pool from active use without having to delete the desktop pool definition from Horizon 7.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Select a desktop pool and change the status of the pool.
Option Action
Disable the pool Select Disable Desktop Pool from the Status drop-down menu.
Enable the pool Select Enable Desktop Pool from the Status drop-down menu.
3Click OK.
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Disable or Enable Provisioning in an Automated Desktop Pool
When you disable provisioning in an automated desktop pool, Horizon 7 stops provisioning new virtual
machines for the pool. After you disable provisioning, you can enable provisioning again.
Before you change a desktop pool's configuration, you can disable provisioning to ensure that no new
machines are created with the old configuration. You also can disable provisioning to prevent Horizon 7
from using additional storage when a pool is close to filling up the available space.
When provisioning is disabled in a linked-clone pool, Horizon 7 stops new machines from being
provisioned and stops machines from being customized after they are recomposed or rebalanced.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Select a desktop pool and change the status of the pool.
Option Action
Disable provisioning Select Disable Provisioning from the Status drop-down menu.
Enable provisioning Select Enable Provisioning from the Status drop-down menu.
3Click OK.
Delete a Desktop Pool
When you delete a desktop pool, users can no longer launch new remote desktops in the pool.
Depending on the type of desktop pool, you have various options regarding how Horizon 7 handles
persistent disks, vCenter Server full virtual machines, and users' active sessions.
By default, you can delete a desktop pool even if desktop machines exist in the pool. Horizon 7 does not
give you a warning. You can configure Horizon 7 to not allow the deletion of a pool that contains desktop
machines. For details, see Configure Horizon 7 to Disallow the Deletion of a Desktop Pool That Contains
Desktop Machines. If you configure the setting, you must delete all the machines in a desktop pool before
you can delete the pool.
With an automated desktop pool of instant clones or View Composer linked clones, Horizon 7 always
deletes the virtual machines from disk.
Important Do not delete the virtual machines in vCenter Server before you delete a desktop pool with
Horizon Administrator. This action could put Horizon 7 components into an inconsistent state.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Select a desktop pool and click Delete.
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3Choose how to delete the desktop pool.
Pool Options
Automated desktop pool of instant
clones or linked clones without
persistent disks.
No available options. Horizon 7 deletes all virtual machines from disk. Users'
sessions to their remote desktops are terminated.
Automated desktop pool of linked
clones with persistent disks.
Choose whether to detach or delete the persistent disks when the linked-clone
virtual machines are deleted.
In both cases, Horizon 7 deletes all virtual machines from disk, and users'
sessions to their remote desktops are terminated.
If you detach a persistent disk, the linked-clone virtual machine that contained the
persistent disk can be recreated, or the persistent disk can be attached to another
virtual machine. You can store detached persistent disks in the same datastore or
a different one. If you select a different datastore, you cannot store detached
persistent disks on a local datastore. You must use a shared datastore.
You can only detach persistent disks that were created in Horizon 7 4.5 or later
releases.
Automated desktop pool of full virtual
machines.
Manual desktop pool of vCenter Server
virtual machines.
Choose whether to keep or delete the virtual machines in vCenter Server.
RDS desktop pool.
Automated desktop pool of full virtual
machines.
Manual desktop pool.
If there are users who are connected to their remote desktops, choose whether to
keep users' sessions active or terminate them. Note that Connection Server does
not keep track of sessions that are kept active.
When you delete a desktop pool, linked-clone virtual machines' computer accounts are removed from
Active Directory. Full virtual machines' computer accounts remain in Active Directory. To remove these
accounts, you must manually delete them from Active Directory.
If you delete an instant-clone desktop pool, it can take some time for Horizon 7 to delete the internal VMs
from vCenter Server. Do not remove vCenter Server from Horizon Administrator until you verify that all
the internal VMs are deleted.
Configure Horizon 7 to Disallow the Deletion of a Desktop Pool
That Contains Desktop Machines
You can configure Horizon 7 to disallow the deletion of a desktop pool that contains desktop machines.
By default, Horizon 7 allows the deletion of such a pool.
If you configure this setting, you must delete all the machines in a desktop pool before you can delete the
pool.
Prerequisites
See the Microsoft TechNet Web site for information on how to use the ADSI Edit utility on your Windows
server.
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Procedure
1Start the ADSI Edit utility on the Connection Server host.
2In the Connection Settings dialog box, select or connect to DC=vdi,DC=vmware,DC=int.
3In the Computer pane, select or type localhost:389 or the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of
the View Connection Server host followed by port 389.
For example: localhost:389 or mycomputer.mydomain.com:389
4On the object CN=Common, OU=Global, OU=Properties, edit the pae-NameValuePair attribute
and add the value cs-disableNonEmptyPoolDelete=1.
The new setting takes effect immediately. You do not need to restart the Connection Server service.
Managing Virtual Machine-Based Desktops
A virtual machine-based desktop is a desktop that is from an automated desktop pool or a manual
desktop pool that contains vCenter Server virtual machines.
Assign a Machine to a User
In a dedicated-assignment pool, you can assign a user to be the owner of the virtual machine that hosts a
remote desktop. Only the assigned user can log in and connect to the remote desktop.
Horizon 7 assigns machines to users in these situations.
nWhen you create a desktop pool and select the Enable automatic assignment setting.
Note If you select the Enable automatic assignment setting, you can still manually assign
machines to users.
nWhen you create an automated pool, select the Specify names manually setting, and provide user
names with the machine names.
If you do not select either setting in a dedicated-assignment pool, users do not have access to remote
desktops. You must manually assign a machine to each user.
You can also use the vdmadmin command to assign machines to users. For more information about the
vdmadmin command, see the View Administration guide.
Prerequisites
nVerify that the remote desktop virtual machine belongs to a dedicated-assignment pool. In Horizon
Administrator, the desktop pool assignment appears in the Desktop Pool column the Machines page.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Resources > Machines, or select Catalog > Desktop Pools,
double-click a pool ID, and click the Inventory tab.
2Select the machine.
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3Select Assign User from the More Commands drop-down menu.
4Choose whether to find users or groups, select a domain, and type a search string in the Name or
Description text box.
5Select the user or group name and click OK.
Unassign a User from a Dedicated Machine
In a dedicated-assignment pool, you can remove a machine assignment to a user.
You can also use the vdmadmin command to remove a machine assignment to a user. For more
information about the vdmadmin command, see the View Administration guide.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Resources > Machines or select Catalog > Desktop Pools, double-
click a pool ID, and click the Inventory tab.
2Select the machine.
3Select Unassign User from the More Commands drop-down menu.
4Click OK.
The machine is available and can be assigned to another user.
Customize Existing Machines in Maintenance Mode
After a desktop pool is created, you can customize, modify, or test individual machines by placing them in
maintenance mode. When a machine is in maintenance mode, users cannot access the virtual-machine
desktop.
You place existing machines in maintenance mode one at a time. You can remove multiple machines from
maintenance mode in one operation.
When you create a desktop pool, you can start all the machines in the pool in maintenance mode if you
specify machine names manually.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Resources > Machines or select Catalog > Desktop Pools, double-
click a pool ID, and select the Inventory tab.
2Select a machine.
3Select Enter Maintenance Mode from the More Commands drop-down menu.
4Customize, modify, or test the virtual-machine desktop.
5Repeat Step 2 through Step 4 for all virtual machines that you want to customize.
6Select the customized machines and select Exit Maintenance Mode from the More Commands
drop-down menu.
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The modified virtual-machine desktops are available to users.
Delete Virtual-Machine Desktops
When you delete a virtual-machine desktop, users can no longer access the desktop. A virtual-machine
desktop is either a vCenter Server virtual machine or an unmanaged virtual machine.
Users in currently active sessions can continue to use full virtual-machine desktops if you keep the virtual
machines in vCenter Server. After the users log off, they cannot access the deleted virtual-machine
desktops.
With instant clones and linked-clone virtual machines, vCenter Server always deletes the virtual machines
from disk.
Note Do not delete the virtual machines in vCenter Server before you delete virtual-machine desktops
with Horizon Administrator. This action could put Horizon 7 components into an inconsistent state.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Resources > Machines.
2Select the vCenter VMs tab or the Others tab.
3Select one or more machines and click Remove.
4Choose how to delete the virtual-machine desktop.
Option Description
Pool that contains full virtual-machine
desktops
Choose whether to keep or delete the virtual machines in vCenter Server.
If you delete the virtual machines from disk, users in active sessions are
disconnected from their desktops.
If you keep the virtual machines in vCenter Server, choose whether to let users in
active sessions stay connected to their desktops or disconnect them.
View Composer linked-clone pool with
persistent disks
Choose whether to detach or delete the persistent disks when the virtual-machine
desktops are deleted.
In both cases, vCenter Server deletes the linked-clone virtual machines from disk.
Users in currently active sessions are disconnected from their remote desktops.
If you detach a persistent disk, the linked-clone virtual machine that contained the
persistent disk can be recreated, or the persistent disk can be attached to another
virtual machine. You can store detached persistent disks in the same datastore or
a different one. If you select a different datastore, you cannot store detached
persistent disks on a local datastore. You must use a shared datastore.
You can only detach persistent disks that were created in View 4.5 or later
releases.
Instant-clone pool and View Composer
linked-clone pool without persistent
disks
vCenter Server deletes the linked-clone virtual machines from disk. Users in
currently active sessions are disconnected from their remote desktops.
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When you delete virtual-machine desktops, linked-clone virtual machine computer accounts are removed
from Active Directory. Full virtual machine accounts remain in Active Directory. To remove these accounts,
you must manually delete them from Active Directory.
Export Horizon 7 Information to External Files
In Horizon Administrator, you can export Horizon 7 table information to external files. You can export the
tables that list users and groups, pools, machines, View Composer persistent disks, ThinApp applications,
events, and VDI sessions. You can view and manage the information in a spreadsheet or another tool.
For example, you might collect information about machines that are managed by more than one
Connection Server instance or group of replicated Connection Server instances. You can export the
Machines table from each Horizon Administrator interface and view it in a spreadsheet.
When you export a Horizon Administrator table, it is saved as a comma-separated value (CSV) file. This
feature exports the entire table, not individual pages.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, display the table you want to export.
For example, click Resources > Machines to display the machines table.
2Click the export icon in the upper right corner of the table.
When you point to the icon, the Export table contents tooltip appears.
3Type a filename for the CSV file in the Select location for download dialog box.
The default filename is global_table_data_export.csv.
4Browse to a location to store the file.
5Click Save.
What to do next
Open a spreadsheet or another tool to view the CSV file.
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Managing View Composer
Linked-Clone Desktop Virtual
Machines 10
You can update View Composer linked-clone desktop machines, reduce the size of their operating system
data, and rebalance the machines among datastores. You also can manage the persistent disks
associated with linked clones.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nReduce Linked-Clone Size with Machine Refresh
nUpdate Linked-Clone Desktops
nRebalance Linked-Clone Virtual Machines
nManage View Composer Persistent Disks
Reduce Linked-Clone Size with Machine Refresh
A machine refresh operation restores the operating system disk of each linked clone to its original state
and size, reducing storage costs.
If possible, schedule refresh operations during off-peak hours.
For guidelines, see Machine Refresh Operations.
Prerequisites
nDecide when to schedule the refresh operation. By default, View Composer starts the operation
immediately.
You can schedule only one refresh operation at a time for a given set of linked clones. You can
schedule multiple refresh operations if they affect different linked clones.
nDecide whether to force all users to log off as soon as the operation begins or wait for each user to
log off before refreshing that user's linked-clone desktop.
If you force users to log off, View notifies users before they are disconnected and allows them to
close their applications and log off.
If you force users to log off, the maximum number of concurrent refresh operations on remote
desktops that require logoffs is half the value of the Max concurrent View Composer maintenance
operations setting. For example, if this setting is configured as 24 and you force users to log off, the
maximum number of concurrent refresh operations on remote desktops that require logoffs is 12.
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nIf your deployment includes replicated View Connection Server instances, verify that all instances are
the same version.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Select the desktop pool to refresh by double-clicking the pool ID in the left column.
3Choose whether to refresh multiple virtual machines or a single virtual machine.
Option Action
To refresh all virtual machines in the
desktop pool
a In View Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
b Select the desktop pool to refresh by double-clicking the pool ID in the left
column.
c On the Inventory tab, click Machines.
d Use the Ctrl or Shift key to select all the machine IDs in the left column.
e Select Refresh from the View Composer drop-down menu.
To refresh a single virtual machine a In View Administrator, select Resources > Machines.
b Select the machine to refresh by double-clicking the machine ID in the left
column.
c On the Summary tab, select Refresh from the View Composer drop-down
menu.
4Follow the wizard instructions.
The OS disks are reduced to their original size.
In vCenter Server, you can monitor the progress of the refresh operation on the linked-clone virtual
machines.
In View Administrator, you can monitor the operation by selecting Catalog > Desktop Pools, double-
clicking the pool ID, and clicking the Tasks tab. You can click Cancel task, Pause task, or Resume task
to terminate a task, suspend a task, or resume a suspended task.
Machine Refresh Operations
As users interact with linked clones, the clones' OS disks grow. A machine refresh operation restores the
OS disks to their original state and size, reducing storage costs.
A refresh operation does not affect View Composer persistent disks.
A linked clone uses less storage space than the parent virtual machine, which contains the complete OS
data. However, a clone's OS disk expands each time data is written to it from within the guest operating
system.
When View Composer creates a linked clone, it takes a snapshot of the clone's OS disk. The snapshot
uniquely identifies the linked-clone virtual machine. A refresh operation reverts the OS disk to the
snapshot.
View Composer can refresh a linked clone in as little as half the time it takes to delete and recreate the
clone.
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Apply these guidelines to refresh operations:
nYou can refresh a desktop pool on demand, as a scheduled event, or when the OS data reaches a
specified size.
You can schedule only one refresh operation at a time for a given set of linked clones. If you start a
refresh operation immediately, the operation overwrites any previously scheduled task.
You can schedule multiple refresh operations if they affect different linked clones.
Before you schedule a new refresh operation, you must cancel any previously scheduled task.
nYou can refresh dedicated-assignment and floating-assignment pools.
nA refresh can only occur when users are disconnected from their linked-clone desktops.
nA refresh preserves the unique computer information set up by QuickPrep or Sysprep. You do not
need to rerun Sysprep after a refresh to restore the SID or the GUIDs of third-party software installed
in the system drive.
nAfter you recompose a linked clone, Horizon 7 takes a new snapshot of the linked clone's OS disk.
Future refresh operations restore the OS data to that snapshot, not the one originally taken when the
linked clone was first created.
If you use native NFS snapshot (VAAI) technology to generate linked clones, certain vendors' NAS
devices take snapshots of the replica disk when they refresh the linked clones' OS disks. These NAS
devices do not support taking direct snapshots of each clone's OS disk.
nYou can set a minimum number of ready, provisioned desktops that remain available for users to
connect to during the refresh operation.
Note You can slow the growth of linked clones by redirecting their paging files and system temp files to a
temporary disk. When a linked clone is powered off, Horizon 7 replaces the temporary disk with a copy of
the original temporary disk that View Composer created with the linked-clone pool. This operation shrinks
the temporary disk to its original size.
You can configure this option when you create a linked-clone desktop pool.
Update Linked-Clone Desktops
You can update linked-clone virtual machines by creating a new base image on the parent virtual machine
and using the recompose feature to distribute the updated image to the linked clones.
nPrepare a Parent Virtual Machine to Recompose Linked Clones
Before you recompose a linked-clone desktop pool, you must update the parent virtual machine that
you used as a base image for the linked clones.
nRecompose Linked-Clone Virtual Machines
Machine recomposition simultaneously updates all the linked-clone virtual machines anchored to a
parent virtual machine.
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nUpdating Linked Clones with Recomposition
In a recomposition, you can provide operating system patches, install or update applications, or
modify the virtual machine hardware settings in all the linked clones in a desktop pool.
nCorrecting an Unsuccessful Recomposition
You can correct a recomposition that failed. You can also take action if you accidentally recompose
linked clones using a different base image than the one you intended to use.
Prepare a Parent Virtual Machine to Recompose Linked Clones
Before you recompose a linked-clone desktop pool, you must update the parent virtual machine that you
used as a base image for the linked clones.
View Composer does not support recomposing linked clones that use one operating system to a parent
virtual machine that uses a different operating system. For example, you cannot use a snapshot of a
Windows 8 parent virtual machine to recompose a Windows 7 linked clone.
Procedure
1In vCenter Server, update the parent virtual machine for the recomposition.
nInstall OS patches or service packs, new applications, application updates, or make other
changes in the parent virtual machine.
nAlternatively, prepare another virtual machine to be selected as the new parent during the
recomposition.
2In vCenter Server, power off the updated or new parent virtual machine.
3In vCenter Server, take a snapshot of the parent virtual machine.
What to do next
Recompose the linked-clone desktop pool.
Recompose Linked-Clone Virtual Machines
Machine recomposition simultaneously updates all the linked-clone virtual machines anchored to a parent
virtual machine.
If possible, schedule recompositions during off-peak hours.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you have a snapshot of the parent virtual machine. See Prepare a Parent Virtual Machine
to Recompose Linked Clones.
nFamiliarize yourself with the recomposition guidelines. See Updating Linked Clones with
Recomposition.
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nDecide when to schedule the recomposition. By default, View Composer starts the recomposition
immediately.
You can schedule only one recomposition at a time for a given set of linked clones. You can schedule
multiple recompositions if they affect different linked clones.
nDecide whether to force all users to log off as soon as the recomposition begins or wait for each user
to log off before recomposing that user's linked-clone desktop.
If you force users to log off, Horizon 7 notifies users before they are disconnected and allows them to
close their applications and log off.
nDecide whether to stop provisioning at first error. If you select this option and an error occurs when
View Composer provisions a linked clone, provisioning stops for all clones in the desktop pool. You
can select this option to ensure that resources such as storage are not consumed unnecessarily.
Selecting the Stop at first error option does not affect customization. If a customization error occurs
on a linked clone, other clones continue to be provisioned and customized.
nVerify that provisioning for the desktop pool is enabled. When desktop pool provisioning is disabled,
Horizon 7 stops the desktops from being customized after they are recomposed.
nIf your deployment includes replicated Horizon Connection Server instances, verify that all instances
are the same version.
Procedure
1Choose whether to recompose the whole desktop pool or a single machine.
Option Action
To recompose all virtual machines in
the desktop pool
a In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
b Select the desktop pool to recompose by double-clicking the pool ID in the left
column.
c On the Inventory tab, click Machines.
d Use the Ctrl or Shift keys to select all the machine IDs in the left column.
e Select Recompose from the View Composer drop-down menu.
To recompose selected virtual
machines
a In Horizon Administrator, select Resources > Machines.
b Select the machine to recompose by double-clicking the machine ID in the left
column.
c On the Summary tab, select Recompose from the View Composer drop-
down menu.
2Follow the wizard instructions.
You can select a new virtual machine to be used as the parent virtual machine for the desktop pool.
On the Ready to Complete page, you can click Show Details to display the linked-clone desktops
that will be recomposed.
The linked-clone virtual machines are refreshed and updated. The OS disks are reduced to their original
size.
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In a dedicated-assignment pool, unassigned linked clones are deleted and recreated. The specified
number of spare virtual machines is maintained.
In a floating-assignment pool, all selected linked clones are recomposed.
In vCenter Server, you can monitor the progress of the recomposition on the linked-clone virtual
machines.
In Horizon Administrator, you can monitor the operation by clicking Catalog > Desktop Pools, double-
clicking the pool ID, and clicking the Tasks tab. You can click Cancel task, Pause task, or Resume task
to terminate a task, suspend a task, or resume a suspended task.
Note If you used a Sysprep customization specification to customize the linked clones when you created
the desktop pool, new SIDs might be generated for the recomposed virtual machines.
Updating Linked Clones with Recomposition
In a recomposition, you can provide operating system patches, install or update applications, or modify
the virtual machine hardware settings in all the linked clones in a desktop pool.
To recompose linked-clone virtual machines, you update the parent virtual machine in vCenter Server or
select a different virtual machine to become the new parent. Next, you take a snapshot of the new parent
virtual machine configuration.
You can change the parent virtual machine without affecting the linked clones because they are linked to
the replica, not directly to the parent.
You then initiate the recomposition, selecting the snapshot to be used as the new base image for the
desktop pool. View Composer creates a new replica, copies the reconfigured OS disk to the linked
clones, and anchors the linked clones to the new replica.
The recomposition also refreshes the linked clones, reducing the size of their OS disks.
Desktop recompositions do not affect View Composer persistent disks.
Apply these guidelines to recompositions:
nYou can recompose dedicated-assignment and floating-assignment desktop pools.
nYou can recompose a desktop pool on demand or as a scheduled event.
You can schedule only one recomposition at a time for a given set of linked clones. Before you can
schedule a new recomposition, you must cancel any previously scheduled task or wait until the
previous operation is completed. Before you can start a new recomposition immediately, you must
cancel any previously scheduled task.
You can schedule multiple recompositions if they affect different linked clones.
nYou can recompose selected linked clones or all linked clones in a desktop pool.
nWhen different linked clones in a desktop pool are derived from different snapshots of the base image
or from different base images, the desktop pool includes more than one replica.
nA recomposition can only occur when users are logged off of their linked-clone desktops.
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nYou cannot recompose linked clones that use one operating system to a new or updated parent
virtual machine that uses a different operating system.
nYou cannot recompose linked clones to a lower hardware version than their current version. For
example, you cannot recompose hardware version 8 clones to a parent virtual machine that is
hardware version 7.
nYou can set a minimum number of ready, provisioned desktops that remain available for users to
connect to during the recompose operation.
Note If you used a Sysprep customization specification to customize the linked clones when you created
the desktop pool, new SIDs might be generated for the recomposed virtual machines.
Correcting an Unsuccessful Recomposition
You can correct a recomposition that failed. You can also take action if you accidentally recompose linked
clones using a different base image than the one you intended to use.
Problem
The virtual machines are in an erroneous or outdated state as a result of an unsuccessful recomposition.
Cause
A system failure or problem might have occurred on the vCenter Server host, in vCenter Server, or on a
datastore during the recomposition.
Alternatively, the recomposition might have used a virtual-machine snapshot with a different operating
system than the operating system of the original parent virtual machine. For example, you might have
used a Windows 8 snapshot to recompose Windows 7 linked clones.
Solution
1Select the snapshot that was used in the last successful recomposition.
You can also select a new snapshot to update the linked clones to a new state.
The snapshot must use the same operating system as the original parent virtual machine's snapshot.
2Recompose the desktop pool again.
View Composer creates a base image from the snapshot and recreates the linked-clone OS disks.
View Composer persistent disks that contain user data and settings are preserved during the
recomposition.
Depending on the conditions of the incorrect recomposition, you might refresh or rebalance the linked
clones instead of or in addition to recomposing them.
Note If you do not configure View Composer persistent disks, all recompositions delete user-
generated changes in the linked-clone virtual machines.
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Rebalance Linked-Clone Virtual Machines
A rebalance operation evenly redistributes linked-clone virtual machines among available datastores.
You can also use the rebalance operation to migrate linked-clone virtual machines to another datastore.
Do not use vSphere Client or vCenter Server to migrate or manage linked-clone virtual machines. See
Migrate Linked-Clone Virtual Machines to Another Datastore.
If possible, schedule rebalance operations during off-peak hours.
For guidelines, see Rebalancing Linked Clones Among Logical Drives.
Prerequisites
nFamiliarize yourself with the rebalance operation. See Rebalancing Linked Clones Among Logical
Drives.
nDecide when to schedule the rebalance operation. By default, View Composer starts the operation
immediately.
You can schedule only one rebalance operation at a time for a given set of linked clones. You can
schedule multiple rebalance operations if they affect different linked clones.
nDecide whether to force all users to log off as soon as the operation begins or wait for each user to
log off before rebalancing that user's linked-clone desktop.
If you force users to log off, View notifies users before they are disconnected and allows them to
close their applications and log off.
If you force users to log off, the maximum number of concurrent rebalance operations on remote
desktops that require logoffs is half the value of the Max concurrent View Composer maintenance
operations setting. For example, if this setting is configured as 24 and you force users to log off, the
maximum number of concurrent rebalance operations on remote desktops that require logoffs is 12.
nVerify that provisioning for the desktop pool is enabled. When pool provisioning is disabled, View
stops the virtual machines from being customized after they are rebalanced.
nIf your deployment includes replicated View Connection Server instances, verify that all instances are
the same version.
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Procedure
1Choose whether to rebalance the whole pool or a single virtual machine.
Option Action
To rebalance all virtual machines in the
pool
a In View Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
b Select the pool to rebalance by double-clicking the pool ID in the left column.
c On the Inventory tab, click Machines.
d Use the Ctrl or Shift keys to select multiple all the machine IDs in the left
column.
e Select Rebalance from the View Composer drop-down menu.
To rebalance a single virtual machine a In View Administrator, select Resources > Machines.
b Select the machine to rebalance by double-clicking the machine ID in the left
column.
c On the Summary tab, select Rebalance from the View Composer drop-down
menu.
2Follow the wizard instructions.
The linked-clone virtual machines are refreshed and rebalanced. The OS disks are reduced to their
original size.
In View Administrator, you can monitor the operation by selecting Catalog > Desktop Pools, double-
clicking the pool ID, and clicking the Tasks tab. You can click Cancel task, Pause task, or Resume task
to terminate a task, suspend a task, or resume a suspended task.
Rebalancing Linked Clones Among Logical Drives
A rebalance operation evenly redistributes linked-clone virtual machines among available logical drives. It
saves storage space on overloaded drives and ensures that no drives are underused.
When you create large linked-clone desktop pools and use multiple Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs), the
space might not be used efficiently if the initial sizing was inaccurate. If you set an aggressive storage
overcommit level, the linked clones can grow quickly and consume all the free space on the datastore.
When the virtual machines use 95% of the space on the datastore, Horizon 7 generates a warning log
entry.
The rebalance also refreshes the linked clones, reducing the size of their OS disks. It does not affect View
Composer persistent disks.
Apply these guidelines to rebalances:
nYou can rebalance dedicated-assignment and floating-assignment desktop pools.
nYou can rebalance selected linked clones or all clones in a pool.
nYou can rebalance a desktop pool on demand or as a scheduled event.
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You can schedule only one rebalance operation at a time for a given set of linked clones. If you start a
rebalance operation immediately, the operation overwrites any previously scheduled task.
You can schedule multiple rebalance operations if they affect different linked clones.
Before you schedule a new rebalance operation, you must cancel any previously scheduled task.
nYou can only rebalance virtual machines in the Available, Error, or Customizing state with no
schedules or pending cancellations.
nAs a best practice, do not mix linked-clone virtual machines with other types of virtual machines on
the same datastore. This way View Composer can rebalance all the virtual machines on the
datastore.
nIf you edit a pool and change the host or cluster and the datastores on which linked clones are stored,
you can only rebalance the linked clones if the newly selected host or cluster has full access to both
the original and the new datastores. All hosts in the new cluster must have access to the original and
new datastores.
For example, you might create a linked-clone desktop pool on a standalone host and select a local
datastore to store the clones. If you edit the desktop pool and select a cluster and a shared datastore,
a rebalance operation will fail because the hosts in the cluster cannot access the original, local
datastore.
nYou can set a minimum number of ready, provisioned virtual machines that remain available for users
to connect to during the rebalance operation.
Important If you use a Virtual SAN datastore, you can use the rebalance operation only to migrate all
the virtual machines in a desktop pool from a Virtual SAN datastore to some other type of datastore, or
the reverse. If a desktop pool uses a Virtual SAN datastore, Virtual SAN provides the load balancing
functionality and optimizes the use of resources across the ESXi cluster.
Migrate Linked-Clone Virtual Machines to Another Datastore
To migrate linked-clone virtual machines from one set of datastores to another, use the rebalance
operation.
When you use rebalance, View Composer manages the movement of the linked clones between
datastores. View Composer ensures that the linked clones' access to the replica is maintained during and
after the rebalance operation. If necessary, View Composer creates an instance of the replica on the
destination datastore.
Note Do not use vSphere Client or vCenter Server to migrate or manage linked-clone virtual machines.
Do not use Storage vMotion to migrate linked-clone virtual machines to other datastores.
Prerequisites
Familiarize yourself with the rebalance operation. See Rebalance Linked-Clone Virtual Machines and
Rebalancing Linked Clones Among Logical Drives.
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Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools, select the desktop pool that you want to
migrate, and click Edit.
2On the vCenter Settings tab, scroll down to Datastores and click Browse.
3On the Select Linked Clone Datastores page, deselect the datastores that currently store the linked
clones, select the destination datastores, and click OK.
4In the Edit window, click OK.
5On the Desktop Pools page, select the pool by double-clicking the pool ID in the left column.
6Select Rebalance from the View Composer drop-down menu and follow the wizard instructions to
rebalance the linked-clone virtual machines.
The linked-clone virtual machines are refreshed and migrated to the destination datastores.
Filenames of Linked-Clone Disks After a Rebalance Operation
When you rebalance linked-clone virtual machines, vCenter Server changes the filenames of View
Composer persistent disks and disposable-data disks in linked clones that are moved to a new datastore.
The original filenames identify the disk type. The renamed disks do not include the identifying labels.
An original persistent disk has a filename with a user-disk label: desktop_name-vdm-user-disk-D-
ID.vmdk.
An original disposable-data disk has a filename with a disposable label: desktop_name-vdm-
disposable-ID.vmdk.
After a rebalance operation moves a linked clone to a new datastore, vCenter Server uses a common
filename syntax for both types of disks: desktop_name_n.vmdk.
Manage View Composer Persistent Disks
You can detach a View Composer persistent disk from a linked-clone virtual machine and attach it to
another linked clone. This feature lets you manage user information separately from linked-clone virtual
machines.
View Composer Persistent Disks
With View Composer, you can configure OS data and user information on separate disks in linked-clone
virtual machines. View Composer preserves the user information on the persistent disk when the OS data
is updated, refreshed, or rebalanced.
A View Composer persistent disk contains user settings and other user-generated data. You create
persistent disks when you create a linked-clone desktop pool.
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You can detach a persistent disk from its linked-clone virtual machine and store the disk on its original
datastore or another datastore. After you detach the disk, the linked-clone virtual machine is deleted. A
detached persistent disk is no longer associated with any virtual machine.
You can use several methods to attach a detached persistent disk to another linked-clone virtual machine.
This flexibility has several uses:
nWhen a linked clone is deleted, you can preserve the user data.
nWhen an employee leaves the company, another employee can access the departing employee's
user data.
nA user who has multiple remote desktops can consolidate the user data on a single remote desktop.
nIf a virtual machine becomes inaccessible in vCenter Server, but the persistent disk is intact, you can
import the persistent disk and create a new linked clone using the disk.
Note Persistent disks must be reconnected to the operating system that was used when they were
created. For example, you cannot detach a persistent disk from a Windows 7 linked clone and recreate or
attach the persistent disk to a Windows 8 linked clone.
Horizon 7 can manage persistent disks from linked-clone pools that were created in View 4.5 or later.
Persistent disks that were created in earlier versions of Horizon 7 cannot be managed and do not appear
on the Persistent Disks page in Horizon Administrator.
Detach a View Composer Persistent Disk
When you detach a View Composer persistent disk from a linked-clone virtual machine, the disk is stored
and the linked clone is deleted. By detaching a persistent disk, you can store and reuse user-specific
information with another virtual machine.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Resources > Persistent Disks.
2Select the persistent disk to detach and click Detach.
3Choose where to store the persistent disk.
Option Description
Use current datastore Store the persistent disk on the datastore where it is currently located.
Use the following datastore Select a new datastore on which to store the persistent disk. Click Browse, click
the down arrow, and select a new datastore from the Choose a Datastore menu.
You cannot select a local datastore to store a detached persistent disk. You must
use a shared datastore or Virtual SAN datastore.
If the persistent disk was originally stored on a Virtual SAN datastore, you can
select a Virtual SAN or non-Virtual SAN datastore to store the detached persistent
disk. Similarly, if the persistent disk was stored on non-Virtual SAN, you can
detach the disk on a non-Virtual SAN or Virtual SAN datastore.
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The View Composer persistent disk is saved on the datastore. The linked-clone virtual machine is deleted
and does not appear in View Administrator.
Attach a View Composer Persistent Disk to Another Linked Clone
You can attach a detached persistent disk to another linked-clone virtual machine. Attaching a persistent
disk makes the user settings and information in the disk available to the user of the other virtual machine.
You attach a detached persistent disk as a secondary disk on the selected linked-clone virtual machine.
The new user of the linked clone has access to the secondary disk and to the existing user information
and settings.
You cannot attach a persistent disk that is stored on a non-Virtual SAN datastore to a virtual machine that
is stored on a Virtual SAN datastore. Similarly, you cannot attach a disk that is stored on Virtual SAN to a
virtual machine that is stored on non-Virtual SAN. View Administrator prevents you from selecting virtual
machines that span Virtual SAN and non-Virtual SAN datastores.
To move a detached persistent disk from non-Virtual SAN to Virtual SAN, you can recreate the disk on a
virtual machine that is stored on a non-Virtual SAN datastore and rebalance the virtual machine's desktop
pool to a Virtual SAN datastore. See Recreate a Linked Clone With a Detached Persistent Disk.
Prerequisites
nVerify that the selected virtual machine uses the same operating system as the linked clone in which
the persistent disk was created.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Resources > Persistent Disks.
2On the Detached tab, select the persistent disk and click Attach.
3Select a linked-clone virtual machine to which to attach the persistent disk.
4Select Attach as a secondary disk.
5Click Finish.
What to do next
Make sure that the user of the linked clone has sufficient privileges to use the attached secondary disk.
For example, if the original user had certain access permissions on the persistent disk, and the persistent
disk is attached as drive D on the new linked clone, the new user of the linked clone must have the
original user's access permissions on drive D.
Log in to the linked clone's guest operating system as an administrator and assign appropriate privileges
to the new user.
Edit a View Composer Persistent Disk's Pool or User
You can assign a detached View Composer persistent disk to a new desktoop pool or user if the original
desktop pool or user was deleted from View.
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A detached persistent disk is still associated with its original desktop pool and user. If the desktop pool or
user is deleted from View, you cannot use the persistent disk to recreate a linked-clone virtual machine.
By editing the desktop pool and user, you can use the detached persistent disk to recreate a virtual
machine in the new desktop pool. The virtual machine is assigned to the new user.
You can select a new desktop pool, a new user, or both.
Prerequisites
nVerify that the persistent disk's desktop pool or user was deleted from View.
nVerify that the new desktop pool uses the same operating system as the desktop pool in which
persistent disk was created.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Resources > Persistent Disks
2Select the persistent disk for which the user or desktop pool has been deleted and click Edit.
3(Optional) Select a linked-cloned desktop pool from the list.
4(Optional) Select a user for the persistent disk.
You can browse your Active Directory for the domain and username.
What to do next
Recreate a linked-clone virtual machine with the detached persistent disk.
Recreate a Linked Clone With a Detached Persistent Disk
When you detach a View Composer persistent disk, the linked clone is deleted. You can give the original
user access to the detached user settings and information by recreating the linked-clone virtual machine
from the detached disk.
Note If you recreate a linked-clone virtual machine in a desktop pool that has reached its maximum size,
the recreated virtual machine is still added to the desktop pool. The desktop pool grows larger than the
specified maximum size.
If a persistent disk's original desktop pool or user was deleted from View, you can assign a new one to
the persistent disk. See Edit a View Composer Persistent Disk's Pool or User.
View does not support recreating a virtual machine with a persistent disk that is stored on a non-Virtual
SAN datastore if the new virtual machine is stored on a Virtual SAN datastore. Similarly, if the persistent
disk is stored on Virtual SAN, View does not support recreating a virtual machine on non-Virtual SAN.
To move a detached persistent disk from non-Virtual SAN to Virtual SAN, you can recreate the disk on a
virtual machine that is stored on a non-Virtual SAN datastore and rebalance the virtual machine's desktop
pool to a Virtual SAN datastore.
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Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Resources > Persistent Disks.
2On the Detached tab, select the persistent disk and click Recreate Machine.
You can select multiple persistent disks to recreate a linked-clone virtual machine for each disk.
3Click OK.
View creates a linked-clone virtual machine for each persistent disk you select and adds the virtual
machine to the original desktop pool.
The persistent disks remain on the datastore where they were stored.
Restore a Linked Clone by Importing a Persistent Disk from
vSphere
If a linked-clone virtual machine becomes inaccessible in View, you can restore the virtual machine if it
was configured with a View Composer persistent disk. You can import the persistent disk from a vSphere
datastore into View.
You import the persistent disk file as a detached persistent disk in View. You can either attach the
detached disk to an existing virtual machine or recreate the original linked clone in View.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Resources > Persistent Disks.
2On the Detached tab, click Import from vCenter.
3Select a vCenter Server instance.
4Select the datacenter where the disk file is located.
5Select a linked-clone desktop pool in which to create a new linked clone virtual machine with the
persistent disk.
6In the Persistent Disk File text box, click Browse, click the down arrow, and select a datastore from
the Choose a Datastore menu.
You cannot import a persistent disk from a local datastore. Only shared datastores are available.
7Click the datastore name to display its disk storage files and virtual-machine files.
8Select the persistent-disk file you want to import.
9In the User text box, click Browse, select a user to assign to the virtual machine, and click OK.
The disk file is imported into View as a detached persistent disk.
What to do next
To restore the linked-clone virtual machine, you can recreate the original virtual machine or attach the
detached persistent disk to another virtual machine.
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For details, see Recreate a Linked Clone With a Detached Persistent Disk and Attach a View Composer
Persistent Disk to Another Linked Clone.
Delete a Detached View Composer Persistent Disk
When you delete a detached persistent disk, you can remove the disk from View and leave it on the
datastore or delete the disk from View and the datastore.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Resources > Persistent Disks.
2On the Detached tab, select the persistent disk and click Delete.
3Choose whether to delete the disk from the datastore or let it remain on the datastore after it is
removed from View.
Option Description
Delete from disk After the deletion, the persistent disk no longer exists.
Delete from View only After the deletion, the persistent disk is no longer accessible in View but remains
on the datastore.
4Click OK.
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Preparing Unmanaged Machines 11
Users can access remote desktops delivered by machines that are not managed by vCenter Server.
These unmanaged machines can include physical computers and virtual machines running on
virtualization platforms other than vCenter Server. You must prepare an unmanaged machine to deliver
remote desktop access.
For information about preparing machines that are used as Remote Desktop Services (RDS) hosts, see
Setting Up RDS Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 guide.
For information about preparing Linux virtual machines for remote desktop deployment, see the Setting
Up Horizon 7 for Linux Desktops guide.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nPrepare an Unmanaged Machine for Remote Desktop Deployment
nInstall Horizon Agent on an Unmanaged Machine
nManaging Unmanaged Machines
Prepare an Unmanaged Machine for Remote Desktop
Deployment
You must perform certain tasks to prepare an unmanaged machine for remote desktop deployment.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you have administrative rights on the unmanaged machine.
nTo make sure that remote desktop users are added to the local Remote Desktop Users group of the
unmanaged machine, create a restricted Remote Desktop Users group in Active Directory. See the
View Installation document for more information.
Procedure
1Power on the unmanaged machine and verify that it is accessible to the Connection Server instance.
2Join the unmanaged machine to the Active Directory domain for your remote desktops.
3Configure the Windows firewall to allow Remote Desktop connections to the unmanaged machine.
What to do next
Install Horizon Agent on the unmanaged machine. See Install Horizon Agent on an Unmanaged Machine.
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Install Horizon Agent on an Unmanaged Machine
You must install Horizon Agent on an all unmanaged machines. Horizon 7 cannot manage an unmanaged
machine unless Horizon Agent is installed.
To install Horizon Agent on multiple Windows physical computers without having to respond to wizard
prompts, you can install Horizon Agent silently. See Install Horizon Agent Silently.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you have prepared Active Directory. See the View Installation document.
nVerify that you have administrative rights on the unmanaged machine.
nTo use an unmanaged Windows Server machine as a remote desktop rather than as an RDS host,
perform the steps described in Prepare Windows Server Operating Systems for Desktop Use.
nFamiliarize yourself with the Horizon Agent custom setup options for unmanaged machines. See
Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options for Unmanaged Machines.
nFamiliarize yourself with the TCP ports that the Horizon Agent installation program opens on the
firewall. See the View Architecture Planning document for more information.
nIf the machine has the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package installed, verify that the version
of the package is 2005 SP1 or later. If the package version is 2005 or earlier, you can either upgrade
or uninstall the package.
nDownload the Horizon Agent installer file from the VMware product page at
http://www.vmware.com/go/downloadview.
Procedure
1To start the Horizon Agent installation program, double-click the installer file.
The installer filename is VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe or VMware-viewagent-x86_64-
y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe, where y.y.y is the version number and xxxxxx is the build number.
2Accept the VMware license terms.
3Select the Internet Protocol (IP) version, IPv4 or IPv6.
You must install all Horizon 7 components with the same IP version.
4Select whether to enable or disable FIPS mode.
This option is available only if FIPS mode is enabled in Windows.
5Select your custom setup options.
6Accept or change the destination folder.
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7In the Server text box, type the host name or IP address of a Connection Server host.
During installation, the installer registers the unmanaged machine with this Connection Server
instance. After registration, the specified Connection Server instance, and any additional instances in
the same Connection Server group, can communicate with the unmanaged machine.
8Select an authentication method to register the unmanaged machine with the Connection Server
instance.
Option Action
Authenticate as the currently logged in
user
The Username and Password text boxes are disabled and you are logged in to
the Connection Server instance with your current username and password.
Specify administrator credentials You must provide the username and password of a Connection Server
administrator in the Username and Password text boxes.
Provide the username in the following format: Domain\User.
The user account must be a domain user with access to View LDAP on the Connection Server
instance. A local user does not work.
9Follow the prompts in the Horizon Agent installation program and finish the installation.
10 If you selected the USB redirection option, restart the unmanaged machine to enable USB support.
In addition, the Found New Hardware wizard might start. Follow the prompts in the wizard to
configure the hardware before you restart the unmanaged machine.
The VMware Horizon Horizon Agent service is started on the unmanaged machine.
What to do next
Use the unmanaged machine to create a remote desktop. See Manual Desktop Pools.
Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options for Unmanaged Machines
When you install Horizon Agent on an unmanaged machine, you can select or deselect certain custom
setup options. In addition, Horizon Agent installs certain features automatically on all guest operating
systems on which they are supported. These features are not optional.
To change custom setup options after you install the latest Horizon Agent version, you must uninstall and
reinstall Horizon Agent. For patches and upgrades, you can run the new Horizon Agent installer and
select a new set of options without uninstalling the previous version.
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Table 11‑1. Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options for Unmanaged Machines in an IPv4
Environment (Optional)
Option Description
USB Redirection Gives users access to locally connected USB devices on their
desktops.
USB redirection is supported on remote desktops that are
deployed on single-user machines. In addition, redirection of
USB flash drives and hard disks is supported on RDS desktops
and applications.
This setup option is not selected by default. You must select the
option to install it.
For guidance on using USB redirection securely, see the View
Security guide. For example, you can use group policy settings
to disable USB redirection for specific users.
Client Drive Redirection Allows Horizon Client users to share local drives with their
remote desktops.
After this setup option is installed, no further configuration is
required on the remote desktop.
Client Drive Redirection is also supported on VDI desktops that
run on managed, single-user virtual machines and on RDS
desktops and applications.
View Persona Management Synchronizes the user profile on the local desktop with a remote
profile repository, so that users have access to their profiles
whenever they log in to a desktop.
Smartcard Redirection Lets users authenticate with smart cards when they use the
PCoIP or Blast Extreme display protocol.
Smartcard Redirection is supported on remote desktops that are
deployed on single-user machines but is not supported on RDS
host-based remote desktops.
Virtual audio driver Provides a virtual audio driver on the remote desktop.
In an IPv6 environment, the only optional feature is Smartcard Redirection.
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Table 11‑2. Horizon Agent Features That Are Installed Automatically on Unmanaged
Machines in an IPv4 Environment (Not Optional)
Feature Description
PCoIP Agent Lets users connect to the remote desktop with the PCoIP
display protocol.
The PCoIP Agent feature is supported on physical machines
that are configured with a Teradici TERA host card.
Lync Provides support for Microsoft Lync 2013 Client on remote
desktops.
Unity Touch Allows tablet and smart phone users to interact easily with
Windows applications that run on the remote desktop. Users can
browse, search, and open Windows applications and files,
choose favorite applications and files, and switch between
running applications, all without using the Start menu or Taskbar.
In an IPv6 environment, the only automatically installed feature is PCoIP Agent.
Managing Unmanaged Machines
In Horizon Administrator, you can add and remove unmanaged machines from manual desktop pools and
remove registered machines from Horizon 7. Unmanaged machines include physical computers and
virtual machines that are not managed by vCenter Server.
For information about deleting a desktop pool that contains unmanaged machines, see Delete a Desktop
Pool.
When you reconfigure a setting that affects an unmanaged machine, it can take up to 10 minutes for the
new setting to take effect. For example, if you change the Message security mode in Global Settings or
change the Automatically logoff after disconnect setting for a pool, Horizon 7 might take up to 10
minutes to reconfigure the affected unmanaged machines.
Note RDS hosts are also unmanaged machines, since they are not generated from a parent virtual
machine or template and managed by vCenter Server. RDS hosts support session-based desktops and
applications and are treated as a separate category. For more information about managing RDS hosts,
see the Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 guide.
Add an Unmanaged Machine to a Manual Pool
You can increase the size of a manual desktop pool by adding unmanaged machines to the pool.
Prerequisites
Verify that Horizon Agent is installed on the unmanaged machine.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Double-click the pool ID of the manual pool.
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3In the Inventory tab, click Add.
4Select unmanaged machines from the Add Desktops window and click OK.
The unmanaged machines are added to the pool.
Remove an Unmanaged Machine from a Manual Desktop Pool
You can reduce the size of a manual desktop pool by removing unmanaged machines from the pool.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Double-click the pool ID of the manual pool.
3Select the Inventory tab.
4Select the unmanaged machines to remove.
5Click Remove.
6If users are logged in to the unmanaged machine-based desktops, choose whether to terminate the
sessions or let the sessions remain active.
Option Description
Leave active Active sessions remain until the user logs off. Connection Server does not keep
track of these sessions.
Terminate Active sessions end immediately.
7Click OK.
The unmanaged machines are removed from the pool.
Remove Registered Machines from Horizon 7
If you do not plan to use a registered machine again, you can remove it from Horizon 7.
After you remove a registered machine, it becomes unavailable in Horizon 7. To make the machine
available again, you must reinstall Horizon Agent.
Prerequisites
Verify that the registered machines that you want to remove are not being used in any desktop pool.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select View Configuration > Registered Machines.
2Click the Others tab.
3Select one or more machines and click Remove.
You can select only machines that are not being used by a desktop pool.
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4Click OK to confirm.
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Entitling Users and Groups 12
You configure entitlements to control which remote desktops and applications your users can access. You
can configure the restricted entitlements feature to control desktop access based on the View Connection
Server instance that users connect to when they select remote desktops. You can also restrict access to a
set of users outside the network from connecting to remote desktops and applications within the network.
In a Cloud Pod Architecture environment, you create global entitlements to entitle users or groups to
multiple desktops across multiple pods in a pod federation. When you use global entitlements, you do not
need to configure and manage local entitlements for remote desktops. For information about global
entitlements and setting up a Cloud Pod Architecture environment, see the Administering View Cloud Pod
Architecture document.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nAdd Entitlements to a Desktop or Application Pool
nRemove Entitlements from a Desktop or Application Pool
nReview Desktop or Application Pool Entitlements
nConfiguring Start Menu Shortcuts for Desktop and Application Pools
nRestricting Desktop or Application Access
nRestricting Remote Desktop Access Outside the Network
Add Entitlements to a Desktop or Application Pool
Before users can access remote desktops or applications, they must be entitled to use a desktop or
application pool.
Prerequisites
Create a desktop or application pool.
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Procedure
1Select the desktop or application pool.
Option Action
Add an entitlement for a desktop pool In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools and click the name of
the desktop pool.
Add an entitlement for an application
pool
In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Application Pools and click the name
of the application pool.
2Select Add entitlement from the Entitlements drop-down menu.
3Click Add, select one or more search criteria, and click Find to find users or groups based on your
search criteria.
Note Domain local groups are filtered out of search results for mixed-mode domains. You cannot
entitle users in domain local groups if your domain is configured in mixed mode.
4Select the users or groups you want to entitle to the desktops or applications in the pool and click OK.
5Click OK to save your changes.
Remove Entitlements from a Desktop or Application Pool
You can remove entitlements from a desktop or application pool to prevent specific users or groups from
accessing a desktop or application.
Procedure
1Select the desktop or application pool.
Option Description
Remove an entitlement for a desktop
pool
In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools and click the name of
the desktop pool.
Remove an entitlement for an
application pool
In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Application Pools and click the name
of the application pool.
2Select Remove entitlement from the Entitlements drop-down menu.
3Select the user or group whose entitlement you want to remove and click Remove.
4Click OK to save your changes.
Review Desktop or Application Pool Entitlements
You can review the desktop or application pools to which a user or group is entitled.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Users and Groups and click the name of the user or group.
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2Click the Entitlements tab and review the desktop or application pools to which the user or group is
entitled.
Option Action
List the desktop pools to which the
user or group is entitled
Click Desktop Pools.
List the application pools to which the
user or group is entitled
Click Application Pools.
Configuring Start Menu Shortcuts for Desktop and
Application Pools
You can configure Windows start menu shortcuts for entitled desktop and application pools. When an
entitled user connects to a Connection Server, Horizon Client for Windows places these shortcuts in the
Start menu on the user's Windows client device.
You can configure a Start menu shortcut when you create or modify a desktop pool or application pool.
You must select a category folder, or the root (/) folder, during shortcut configuration. You can add and
name your own category folders. For example, you might add a category folder named Office and select
that folder for all work-related applications, such as Microsoft Office and Microsoft PowerPoint.
You can also configure a Start menu shortcut when you create or modify a global entitlement. For more
information on global entitlements, see the Administering Cloud Pod Architecture in Horizon 7document.
On Windows 7 client devices, Horizon Client places category folders and shortcuts in the VMware
Applications folder in the Start menu. If you select the root (/) folder for a shortcut, Horizon Client places
the shortcut directly in the VMware Applications folder.
On Windows 8 and Windows 10 client devices, Horizon Client places category folders and shortcuts in
the Apps list. If you select the root (/) folder for a shortcut, Horizon Client places the shortcut in the
Desktop category in the Apps list.
After you create a shortcut, a check mark appears in the App Shortcut column for the desktop or
application pool on the Desktop Pools or Application Pools page in Horizon Administrator.
By default, Horizon Client prompts entitled users to install shortcuts the first time they connect to a server.
You can configure Horizon Client to install shortcuts automatically, or to never install shortcuts, by
modifying the Automatically install shortcuts when configured on the Horizon server group policy
setting. For more information, see the VMware Horizon Client for Windows Installation and Setup Guide
document.
By default, changes that you make to shortcuts are synchronized on a user's client device each time the
user connects to the server. Users can disable the shortcut synchronization feature in Horizon Client. For
more information, see the VMware Horizon Client for Windows Installation and Setup Guide document.
This feature requires Horizon Client 4.6 for Windows or later.
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Create Start Menu Shortcuts for Desktop Pools
You can create Windows Start menu shortcuts for entitled desktop pools in Horizon Administrator so that
the desktop pools appear in the Start menu on the user's Windows client device. You can create Start
menu shortcuts when you create a desktop pool. You can also create Start menu shortcuts when you edit
the desktop pool.
Prerequisites
nDecide how to configure the pool settings based on the type of desktop pool you want to create. For
creating desktop pools for virtual desktops, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7
document. For creating desktop pools for published desktops, see the Setting Up Published Desktops
and Applications in Horizon 7 document.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, click Catalog > Desktop Pools and click Add.
2In the Add Desktop Pool wizard, select the type of desktop pool you want to create, and click Next.
3Follow the wizard prompts to the Desktop Pool Settings page.
4To create a Windows Start menu shortcut for the desktop pool, click the Category Folder Browse
button, select Select a category folder from the folder list, select a category folder from the list,
and click OK.
You can create a new category folder by typing a folder name in the New Folder text box and clicking
Add.
5Follow the wizard prompts to the Ready to Complete page and select Entitle users after this
wizard finishes and click Finish.
6In the Add Entitlements wizard, click Add, select one or more search criteria, and click Find to find
users or groups based on your search criteria, select the users or groups you want to entitle to the
desktops in the pool and click OK.
A check mark appears in the App Shortcut column for the desktop pool on the Desktop Pools page.
What to do next
Connection Server places these shortcuts in the Start menu on the user's Windows client device. Log in
to Horizon Client for Windows to view the desktop shortcuts in the Start menu.
Restricting Desktop or Application Access
You can configure the restricted entitlements feature to restrict remote desktop access based on the
Connection Server instance to which users connect when they select desktops. You can also restrict
access to published applications based on the Connection Server instance to which users connect to
when they select applications.
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With restricted entitlements, you assign one or more tags to a Connection Server instance. When you
configure a desktop or application pool, you select the tags of the Connection Server instances that you
want to have access to the desktop or application.
When users log in to a tagged Connection Server instance, they can access only those desktop or
application pools that have at least one matching tag or no tags.
For information about using tags to restrict access to global entitlements in a Cloud Pod Architecture
environment, see the Administering Cloud Pod Architecture in Horizon 7 document.
nRestricted Entitlement Example
This example shows a Horizon deployment that includes two Connection Server instances. The first
instance supports internal users. The second instance is paired with a security server and supports
external users.
nTag Matching
The restricted entitlements feature uses tag matching to determine whether a Connection Server
instance can access a particular desktop pool.
nConsiderations and Limitations for Restricted Entitlements
Before implementing restricted entitlements, you must be aware of certain considerations and
limitations.
nAssign a Tag to a Connection Server Instance
When you assign a tag to a Connection Server instance, users who connect to that Connection
Server instance can access only those desktop pools that have a matching tag or no tags.
nAssign a Tag to a Desktop Pool
When you assign a tag to a desktop pool, only users who connect to a Connection Server instance
that has a matching tag can access the desktops in that pool.
Restricted Entitlement Example
This example shows a Horizon deployment that includes two Connection Server instances. The first
instance supports internal users. The second instance is paired with a security server and supports
external users.
To prevent external users from accessing certain desktops, you could set up restricted entitlements as
follows:
nAssign the tag "Internal" to the Connection Server instance that supports your internal users.
nAssign the tag "External" to the Connection Server instance that is paired with the security server and
supports your external users.
nAssign the "Internal" tag to the desktop pools that should be accessible only to internal users.
nAssign the "External" tag to the desktop pools that should be accessible only to external users.
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External users cannot see the desktop pools tagged as Internal because they log in through the
Connection Server instance that is tagged as External, and internal users cannot see the desktop pools
tagged as External because they log in through the Connection Server instance that is tagged as Internal.
Figure 12‑1 illustrates this configuration.
Figure 12‑1. Restricted Entitlement Configuration
DMZ
client device
View
Connection
Server
Tag: “External”
desktop pool A
Tag: “External”
View
Security
Server
VM VM
VM VM
client device
View
Connection
Server
Tag: “Internal”
desktop pool B
Tag: “Internal”
VM VM
VM VM
external
network
You can also use restricted entitlements to control desktop access based on the user-authentication
method that you configure for a particular Connection Server instance. For example, you can make
certain desktop pools available only to users who have authenticated with a smart card.
Tag Matching
The restricted entitlements feature uses tag matching to determine whether a Connection Server instance
can access a particular desktop pool.
At the most basic level, tag matching determines that a Connection Server instance that has a specific
tag can access a desktop pool that has the same tag.
The absence of tag assignments can also affect whether a Connection Server instance can access a
desktop pool. For example, Connection Server instances that do not have any tags can access only
desktop pools that also do not have any tags.
Table 12‑1 shows how the restricted entitlement feature determines when a Connection Server can
access a desktop pool.
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Table 12‑1. Tag Matching Rules
View Connection Server Desktop Pool Access Permitted?
No tags No tags Yes
No tags One or more tags No
One or more tags No tags Yes
One or more tags One or more tags Only when tags match
The restricted entitlements feature only enforces tag matching. You must design your network topology to
force certain clients to connect through a particular Connection Server instance.
Considerations and Limitations for Restricted Entitlements
Before implementing restricted entitlements, you must be aware of certain considerations and limitations.
nA single Connection Server instance or desktop pool can have multiple tags.
nMultiple Connection Server instances and desktop pools can have the same tag.
nAny Connection Server instance can access a desktop pool that does not have any tags.
nConnection Server instances that do not have any tags can access only desktop pools that also do
not have any tags.
nIf you use a security server, you must configure restricted entitlements on the Connection Server
instance with which the security server is paired. You cannot configure restricted entitlements on a
security server.
nYou cannot modify or remove a tag from a Connection Server instance if that tag is still assigned to a
desktop pool and no other Connection Server instances have a matching tag.
nRestricted entitlements take precedence over other desktop entitlements or assignments. For
example, even if a user is assigned to a particular machine, the user cannot access that machine if
the tag assigned to the desktop pool does not match the tag assigned to the Connection Server
instance to which the user is connected.
nIf you intend to provide access to your desktops through VMware Identity Manager and you configure
Connection Server restrictions, the VMware Identity Manager app might display desktops to users
when those desktops are actually restricted. When a VMware Identity Manager user attempts to log in
to a desktop, the desktop does not start if the tag assigned to the desktop pool does not match the
tag assigned to the Connection Server instance to which the user is connected.
Assign a Tag to a Connection Server Instance
When you assign a tag to a Connection Server instance, users who connect to that Connection Server
instance can access only those desktop pools that have a matching tag or no tags.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select View Configuration > Servers.
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2Click the Connection Servers tab, select the Connection Server instance, and click Edit.
3Type one or more tags in the Tags text box.
Separate multiple tags with a comma or semicolon.
4Click OK to save your changes.
What to do next
Assign the tag to desktop pools. See Assign a Tag to a Desktop Pool.
Assign a Tag to a Desktop Pool
When you assign a tag to a desktop pool, only users who connect to a Connection Server instance that
has a matching tag can access the desktops in that pool.
You can assign a tag when you add or edit a desktop pool.
Prerequisites
Assign tags to one or more Connection Server instances.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Select the desktop pool.
Option Action
Assign a tag to a new pool Click Add to start the Add Desktop Pool wizard and define and identify the pool.
Assign a tag to an existing pool Select the pool and click Edit.
3Go to the Desktop Pool Settings page.
Option Action
Pool settings for a new pool Click Desktop Pool Settings in the Add Desktop Pool wizard.
Pool settings for an existing pool Click the Desktop Pool Settings tab.
4Click Browse next to Connection Server restrictions and configure the Connection Server
instances that can access the desktop pool.
Option Action
Make the pool accessible to any
Connection Server instance
Select No Restrictions.
Make the pool accessible only to
Connection Server instances that have
those tags
Select Restricted to these tags and select one or more tags. You can use the
check boxes to select multiple tags.
5Click OK to save your changes.
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Restricting Remote Desktop Access Outside the Network
You can allow access to specific entitled users and groups from an external network while restricting
access to other entitled users and groups. All entitled users will have access to desktops and applications
from within the internal network. If you choose not to restrict access to specific users from the external
network, then all entitled users will have access from the external network.
For security reasons, administrators might need to restrict users and groups outside the network from
accessing remote desktops and applications inside the network. When a restricted user accesses the
system from an external network, a message stating that the user is not entitled to use the system
appears. The user must be inside the internal network to get access to desktop and application pool
entitlements.
Restrict Users Outside the Network
You can allow access to the Connection Server instance from outside the network to users and groups
while restricting access for other users and groups.
Prerequisites
nAn Unified Access Gateway appliance, security server, or load balancer must be deployed outside the
network as a gateway to the Connection Server instance to which the user is entitled. For more
information about deploying an Unified Access Gateway appliance, see the Deploying and
Configuring Unified Access Gateway document.
nThe users who get remote access must be entitled to desktop or application pools.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Users and Groups.
2Click the Remote Access tab.
3Click Add and select one or more search criteria, and click Find to find users or groups based on
your search criteria.
4To provide remote access for a user or group, select a user or group and click OK.
5To remove a user or group from remote access, select the user or group, click Delete, and click OK.
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Reducing and Managing
Storage Requirements 13
Deploying desktops on virtual machines that are managed by vCenter Server provides all the storage
efficiencies that were previously available only for virtualized servers. Using instant clones or View
Composer linked clones as desktop machines increases the storage savings because all virtual machines
in a pool share a virtual disk with a base image.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nManaging Storage with vSphere
nReducing Storage Requirements with Instant Clones
nReducing Storage Requirements with View Composer
nStoring View Composer Linked Clones on Local Datastores
nStoring Replicas and Clones on Separate Datastores for Instant Clones and View Composer Linked
Clones
nStorage Sizing for Instant-Clone and View Composer Linked-Clone Desktop Pools
nStorage Overcommit for View Composer Linked-Clone Virtual Machines
nView Composer Linked-Clone Data Disks
nConfigure View Storage Accelerator for View Composer Linked Clones
nReclaim Disk Space on View Composer Linked Clones
nUsing VAAI Storage for View Composer Linked Clones
nSet Storage Accelerator and Space Reclamation Blackout Times for View Composer Linked Clones
Managing Storage with vSphere
vSphere lets you virtualize disk volumes and file systems so that you can manage and configure storage
without having to consider where the data is physically stored.
Fibre Channel SAN arrays, iSCSI SAN arrays, and NAS arrays are widely used storage technologies
supported by vSphere to meet different datacenter storage needs. The storage arrays are connected to
and shared between groups of servers through storage area networks. This arrangement allows
aggregation of the storage resources and provides more flexibility in provisioning them to virtual
machines.
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Compatible vSphere 5.0 and 5.1 or Later Features
With vSphere 5.0 or a later release, you can use the following features:
nWith the View storage accelerator feature, you can configure ESXi hosts to cache virtual machine
disk data.
Using this content-based read cache (CBRC) can reduce IOPS and improve performance during boot
storms, when many machines start up and run anti-virus scans at the same time. Instead of reading
the entire OS from the storage system over and over, a host can read common data blocks from
cache.
nIf remote desktops use the space-efficient disk format available with vSphere 5.1 and later, stale or
deleted data within a guest operating system is automatically reclaimed with a wipe and shrink
process.
nReplica disks must be stored on VMFS5 or later datastores or NFS datastores. If you store replicas
on a VMFS version earlier than VMFS5, a cluster can have at most eight hosts. OS disks and
persistent disks can be stored on NFS or VMFS datastores.
Compatible vSphere 5.5 Update 1 or Later Features
With vSphere 5.5 Update 1 or a later release, you can use Virtual SAN, which virtualizes the local
physical solid-state disks and hard disk drives available on ESXi hosts into a single datastore shared by
all hosts in a cluster. Virtual SAN provides high-performance storage with policy-based management, so
that you specify only one datastore when creating a desktop pool, and the various components, such as
virtual machine files, replicas, user data, and operating system files, are placed on the appropriate solid-
state drive (SSD) disks or direct-attached hard disks (HDDs).
Virtual SAN also lets you manage virtual machine storage and performance by using storage policy
profiles. If the policy becomes noncompliant because of a host, disk, or network failure, or workload
changes, Virtual SAN reconfigures the data of the affected virtual machines and optimizes the use of
resources across the cluster. You can deploy a desktop pool on a cluster that contains up to 20 ESXi
hosts.
Important The Virtual SAN feature available with vSphere 6.0 and later releases contains many
performance improvements over the feature that was available with vSphere 5.5 Update 1. With vSphere
6.0 this feature also has broader HCL (hardware compatibility) support. For more information about
Virtual SAN in vSphere 6 or later, see the Administering VMware Virtual SAN document.
Note Virtual SAN is compatible with the View storage accelerator feature but not with the space-efficient
disk format feature, which reclaims disk space by wiping and shrinking disks.
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Compatible vSphere 6.0 or Later Features
With vSphere 6.0 or a later release, you can use Virtual Volumes (VVols). This feature maps virtual disks
and their derivatives, clones, snapshots, and replicas, directly to objects, called virtual volumes, on a
storage system. This mapping allows vSphere to offload intensive storage operations such as
snapshoting, cloning, and replication to the storage system.
Virtual Volumes also lets you manage virtual machine storage and performance by using storage policy
profiles in vSphere. These storage policy profiles dictate storage services on a per-virtual-machine basis.
This type of granular provisioning increases capacity utilization. You can deploy a desktop pool on a
cluster that contains up to 32 ESXi hosts.
Note Virtual Volumes is compatible with the View storage accelerator feature but not with the space-
efficient disk format feature, which reclaims disk space by wiping and shrinking disks.
Note Instant clones do not support Virtual Volumes.
Using Virtual SAN for High-Performance Storage and Policy-Based
Management
VMware Virtual SAN is a software-defined storage tier, available with vSphere 5.5 Update 1 or a later
release, that virtualizes the local physical storage disks available on a cluster of vSphere hosts. You
specify only one datastore when creating an automated desktop pool or an automated farm, and the
various components, such as virtual machine files, replicas, user data, and operating system files, are
placed on the appropriate solid-state drive (SSD) disks or direct-attached hard disks (HDDs).
Virtual SAN implements a policy-based approach to storage management. When you use Virtual SAN,
Horizon 7 defines virtual machine storage requirements, such as capacity, performance, and availability,
in the form of default storage policy profiles and automatically deploys them for virtual desktops onto
vCenter Server. The policies are automatically and individually applied per disk (Virtual SAN objects) and
maintained throughout the life cycle of the virtual desktop. Storage is provisioned and automatically
configured according to the assigned policies. You can modify these policies in vCenter. Horizon creates
vSAN policies for linked-clone desktop pools, instant-clone desktop pools, full-clone desktop pools, or an
automated farm per Horizon cluster.
You can enable encryption for a Virtual SAN cluster to encrypt all data-at-rest in the Virtual SAN
datastore. Virtual SAN encryption is available with Virtual SAN version 6.6 or later. For more information
about encrypting a Virtual SAN cluster, see the VMware Virtual SAN documentation.
Each virtual machine maintains its policy regardless of its physical location in the cluster. If the policy
becomes noncompliant because of a host, disk, or network failure, or workload changes, Virtual SAN
reconfigures the data of the affected virtual machines and load-balances to meet the policies of each
virtual machine.
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While supporting VMware features that require shared storage, such as HA, vMotion, and DRS, Virtual
SAN eliminates the need for an external shared storage infrastructure and simplifies storage configuration
and virtual machine provisioning activities.
Important The Virtual SAN feature available with vSphere 6.0 and later releases contains many
performance improvements over the feature that was available with vSphere 5.5 Update 1. With vSphere
6.0 this feature also has broader HCL (hardware compatibility) support. Also, VMware Virtual SAN 6.0
supports an all-flash architecture that uses flash-based devices for both caching and persistent storage.
Virtual SAN Workflow in Horizon 7
1 Use vCenter Server 5.5 Update 1 or a later release to enable Virtual SAN. For more information
about Virtual SAN in vSphere 5.5 Update 1, see the vSphere Storage document. For more
information about Virtual SAN in vSphere 6 or later, see the Administering VMware Virtual SAN
document.
2 When creating an automated desktop pool or an automated farm in Horizon Administrator, under
Storage Policy Management, select Use VMware Virtual SAN, and select the Virtual SAN
datastore to use.
After you select Use VMware Virtual SAN, only Virtual SAN datastores are displayed.
Default storage policy profiles are created according to the options you choose. For example, if you
create a linked-clone, floating desktop pool, a replica disk profile and an operating system disk profile
are automatically created. If you create a linked-clone, persistent desktop pool, a replica disk profile
and a persistent disk profile are created. For an automated farm, a replica disk profile is created. For
both types of desktop pools and automated farms, a profile is created for virtual machine files.
3 To move existing View Composer desktop pools from another type of datastore to a Virtual SAN
datastore, in Horizon Administrator, edit the pool to deselect the old datastore and select the Virtual
SAN datastore instead, and use the Rebalance command. This operation is not possible for
automated farms because you cannot rebalance an automated farm.
4 (Optional) Use vCenter Server to modify the parameters of the storage policy profiles, which include
things like the number of failures to tolerate and the amount of SSD read cache to reserve. For
specific default policies and values, see Default Storage Policy Profiles for Virtual SAN Datastores.
5 Use vCenter Server to monitor the Virtual SAN cluster and the disks that participate in the datastore.
For more information, see the vSphere Storage document and the vSphere Monitoring and
Performance documentation. For vSphere 6 or later, see the Administering VMware Virtual SAN
document.
6 (Optional) For View Composer linked-clone desktop pools, use the Refresh and Recompose
commands as you normally would. For automated farms, only the Recompose command is
supported, regardless of the type of datastore.
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Requirements and Limitations
The Virtual SAN feature has the following limitations when used in a Horizon 7 deployment:
nThis release does not support using the Horizon 7 space-efficient disk format feature, which reclaims
disk space by wiping and shrinking disks.
nVirtual SAN does not support the View Composer Array Integration (VCAI) feature because Virtual
SAN does not use NAS devices.
Note Virtual SAN is compatible with the View Storage Accelerator feature. Virtual SAN provides a
caching layer on SSD disks, and the View Storage Accelerator feature provides a content-based cache
that reduces IOPS and improves performance during boot storms.
The Virtual SAN feature has the following requirements:
nvSphere 5.5 Update 1 or a later release.
nAppropriate hardware. For example, VMware recommends a 10GB NIC and at least one SSD and
one HDD for each capacity-contributing node. For specifics, see the VMware Compatibility Guide.
nA cluster of at least three ESXi hosts. You need enough ESXi hosts to accommodate your setup even
if you use two ESXi hosts with a Virtual SAN stretched cluster. For more information, see the vSphere
Configuration Maximums document.
nSSD capacity that is at least 10 percent of HDD capacity.
nEnough HDDs to accommodate your setup. Do not exceed more than 75% utilization on a magnetic
disk.
For more information about Virtual SAN requirements, see "Working with Virtual SAN" in the vSphere 5.5
Update 1 Storage document. For vSphere 6 or later, see the Administering VMware Virtual SAN
document. For guidance on sizing and designing the key components of Horizon 7 virtual desktop
infrastructures for VMware Virtual SAN, see the white paper at
http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/products/vsan/VMW-TMD-Virt-SAN-Dsn-Szing-Guid-Horizon-View.pdf.
Default Storage Policy Profiles for Virtual SAN Datastores
When you use Virtual SAN, Horizon 7 defines virtual machine storage requirements, such as capacity,
performance, and availability, in the form of default storage policy profiles, which you can modify. Storage
is provisioned and automatically configured according to the assigned policies. The default policies that
are created during desktop pool creation depend on the type of pool you create.
Virtual SAN offers a storage policy framework so that you can control the behavior of various virtual
machine objects that reside on the Virtual SAN datastore. An example of an object in Virtual SAN is a
virtual disk (VMDK) file, and there are four characteristics of each object that are controlled through
policy:
nStripes: Number of disk stripes per object. The number of disk stripes affects how many magnetic
disks you have (HDDs).
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nResiliency: Number of failures to tolerate. The number of host failures to tolerate depends, of course,
on the number of hosts you have.
nStorage Reservation: Object space reservation. Controls how much storage is set aside.
nCache Reservation: Flash read-cache reservation.
The stripes and cache reservation settings are used to control performance. The resiliency setting
controls availability. The storage provisioning setting control capacity. These settings, taken together,
affect how many vSphere hosts and magnetic disks are required.
For example, if you set the number of disk stripes per object to 2, Virtual SAN will stripe the object across
at least 2 HDDs. In conjunction with this setting, if you set the number of host failures to tolerate to 1,
Virtual SAN will create an additional copy for resiliency and therefore require 4 HDDs. Additionally, setting
the number of host failures to tolerate to 1 requires a minimum of 3 ESXi hosts, 2 for resiliency and the
third to break the tie in case of partitioning.
Table 13‑1. Horizon Default Policies and Settings
Policy (as it appears in
vCenter Server) Description
Number of
disk stripes
per object
Number of
failures to
tolerate
Flash read-
cache
reservation
Object space
reservation
FULL_CLONE_DISK_<guid> Dedicated full-clone virtual
disk
1 1 0 0
FULL_CLONE_DISK_FLOATING_
<guid>
Floating full-clone virtual disk 1 0 0 0
OS_DISK_<guid> Dedicated linked-clone OS
and disposable disks
1 1 0 0
OS_DISK_FLOATING_<guid> Floating linked-clone OS and
disposable disks, floating
instant-clone OS and
disposable disks
1 1 0 0
PERSISTENT_DISK_<guid> Linked-clone persistent disk 1 1 0 0
REPLICA_DISK_<guid> Linked-clone replica disk,
instant-clone replica disk
1 1 0 0
VM_HOME_<guid> VM home directory 1 1 0 0
Note <guid> indicates the UUID of the Horizon 7 cluster.
Once these policies are created for the virtual machines, they will never be changed by Horizon 7. An
administrator can edit the policies created by Horizon 7 by going into vCenter through the vSphere Web
client or the vSphere Command-Line Interface (esxcli), with the option to make the changes effective
across all existing VMs or to any new VMs. Any new default policies enacted by Horizon 7 will not impact
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existing desktops pools. Each virtual machine maintains its policy regardless of its physical location in the
cluster. If the policy becomes non-compliant because of a host, disk, network failure, or workload
changes, Virtual SAN reconfigures the data of the affected virtual machines and load-balances to meet
the policies of each virtual machine.
Note If you inadvertently attempt to use settings that contradict each other, when you attempt to apply
the settings, the operation will fail, and an error message might inform you that you do not have enough
hosts.
Using Virtual Volumes for Virtual-Machine-Centric Storage and
Policy-Based Management
With Virtual Volumes (VVols), available with vSphere 6.0 or a later release, an individual virtual machine,
not the datastore, becomes a unit of storage management. The storage hardware gains control over
virtual disk content, layout, and management.
With Virtual Volumes, abstract storage containers replace traditional storage volumes based on LUNs or
NFS shares. Virtual Volumes maps virtual disks and their derivatives, clones, snapshots, and replicas,
directly to objects, called virtual volumes, on a storage system. With this mapping, vSphere can offload
intensive storage operations such as snapshoting, cloning, and replication to the storage system. The
result, for example, is that a cloning operation that previously took an hour might now take a few minutes
using Virtual Volumes.
Important One of the key benefits of Virtual Volumes is the ability to use Software Policy-Based
Management (SPBM). However, for this release, Horizon 7 does not create the default granular storage
policies that Virtual SAN creates. Instead, you can set a global default storage policy in vCenter Server
that applies to all Virtual Volume datastores.
Virtual Volumes has the following benefits:
nVirtual Volumes supports offloading a number of operations to storage hardware. These operations
include snapshotting, cloning, and Storage DRS.
nWith Virtual Volumes, you can use advanced storage services that include replication, encryption,
deduplication, and compression on individual virtual disks.
nVirtual Volumes supports such vSphere features as vMotion, Storage vMotion, snapshots, linked
clones, Flash Read Cache, and DRS.
nYou can use Virtual Volumes with storage arrays that support vSphere APIs for Array Integration
(VAAI).
Requirements and Limitations
The Virtual Volumes feature has the following limitations when used in a Horizon 7 deployment:
nThis release does not support using the Horizon 7 space-efficient disk format feature, which reclaims
disk space by wiping and shrinking disks.
nVirtual Volumes does not support using View Composer Array Integration (VCAI).
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nVirtual Volumes datastores are not supported for instant clone desktop pools.
Note Virtual Volumes is compatible with the View Storage Accelerator feature. Virtual SAN provides a
caching layer on SSD disks, and the View Storage Accelerator feature provides a content-based cache
that reduces IOPS and improves performance during boot storms.
The Virtual Volumes feature has the following requirements:
nvSphere 6.0 or a later release.
nAppropriate hardware. Certain storage vendors are responsible for supplying storage providers that
can integrate with vSphere and provide support for Virtual Volumes. Every storage provider must be
certified by VMware and properly deployed.
nAll virtual disks that you provision on a virtual datastore must be an even multiple of 1 MB.
Virtual Volumes is a vSphere 6.0 feature. For more information about the requirements, functionality,
background, and setup requirements, see the topics about Virtual Volumes in the vSphere Storage
document.
Reducing Storage Requirements with Instant Clones
The instant clones feature leverages vSphere vmFork technology (available with vSphere 6.0U1 and
later) to quiesce a running base image, or parent virtual machine, and rapidly create and customize a
pool of virtual desktops.
Not only do instant clones share the virtual disks with the parent virtual machine at the time of creation,
instant clones also share the memory of the parent. Each instant clone acts like an independent desktop,
with a unique host name and IP address, yet the instant clone requires significantly less storage. Instant
clones reduce the required storage capacity by 50 to 90 percent. The overall memory requirement is also
reduced at clone creation time. For more information on storage requirements and sizing limits, see the
VMware Knowledge Base (KB) article https://kb.vmware.com/kb/2150348.
Replica and Instant Clones on the Same Datastore
When you create an instant clone desktop pool, a full clone is first made from the master virtual machine.
The full clone, or replica, and the clones linked to it can be placed on the same data store, or LUN (logical
unit number).
Replica and Instant Clones on Dierent Datastores
Alternatively, you can place instant clone replicas and instant clones on separate datastores with different
performance characteristics. For example, you can store the replica virtual machines on a solid-state
drive (SSD). Solid-state drives have low storage capacity and high read performance, typically supporting
tens of thousands of I/Os per second (IOPS).
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You can store instant clones on traditional, spinning media-backed datastores. These disks provide lower
performance, but are less expensive and provide higher storage capacity, which makes them suited for
storing the many instant clones in a large pool. Tiered storage configurations can be used to cost-
effectively handle intensive I/O scenarios such as simultaneous running scheduled antivirus scans.
If you use Virtual SAN datastores, you cannot manually select different datastores for replicas and instant
clones. Because Virtual SAN automatically places objects on the appropriate type of disk and caches all
I/O operations, there is no need to use replica tiering for Virtual SAN data stores. Instant clone pools are
supported on Virtual SAN data stores.
Storing Instant Clones on Local Datastores
Instant clone virtual machines can be stored on local datastores, which are internal spare disks on ESXi
hosts. Local storage offers advantages such as inexpensive hardware, fast virtual-machine provisioning,
high-performance power operations, and simple management. However, using local storage limits the
vSphere infrastructure configuration options that are available to you. Using local storage is beneficial in
certain Horizon 7 environments but not appropriate in others.
Note The limitations described in this topic do not apply to Virtual SAN datastores, which also use local
storage disks but require specific hardware.
Using local datastores is most likely to work well if the Horizon 7 desktops in your environment are
stateless. For example, you might use local datastores if you deploy stateless kiosks or classroom and
training stations.
Consider using local datastores if your virtual machines have floating assignments, are not dedicated to
individual end users, and can be deleted or refreshed at regular intervals such as on user logoff. This
approach lets you control the disk usage on each local datastore without having to move or load-balance
the virtual machines across datastores.
However, you must consider the restrictions that using local datastores imposes on your Horizon 7
desktop or farm deployment:
nYou cannot use VMotion to manage Virtual Volumes.
nYou cannot use VMware High Availability.
nYou cannot use the vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS).
If you are deploying instant clones on a single ESXi host with a local datastore, you must configure a
cluster containing that single ESXi host. If you have a cluster of two or more ESXi hosts with local
datastores, select the local datastore from each of the hosts in the cluster. Otherwise, instant clone
creation fails. This behavior differs from the behavior of local datastores with View Composer linked
clones.
nYou cannot store a replica and instant clones on separate datastores.
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nIf you select local spinning-disk drives, performance might not match that of a commercially available
storage array. Local spinning-disk drives and a storage array might have similar capacity, but local
spinning-disk drives do not have the same throughput as a storage array. Throughput increases as
the number of spindles grows. If you select direct attached solid-state disks (SSDs), performance is
likely to exceed that of many storage arrays.
nIf you intend to take advantage of the benefits of local storage, you must carefully consider the
consequences of not having VMotion, High Availability, DRS, and other features available. If you
manage local disk usage by controlling the number and disk growth of the virtual machines, if you use
floating assignments and perform regular refresh and delete operations, you can successfully deploy
instant clones to local datastores.
nLocal datastore support for instant clones is available for both virtual desktops and published
desktops.
Dierences between Instant Clones and View Composer Linked
Clones
Since instant clones can be created significantly faster than linked clones, the following features of linked
clones are no longer needed when you provision a pool of instant clones:
nInstant-clone pools do not support configuration of a separate, disposable virtual disk for storing the
guest operating system's paging and temp files. Each time a user logs out of an instant clone
desktop, View automatically deletes the clone and provisions and powers on another instant clone
based on the latest OS image available for the pool. Any guest operating systems paging and temp
files are automatically deleted during the logoff operation.
nInstant-clone pools do not support the creation of a separate persistent virtual disk for each virtual
desktop. Instead, you can store the end user's Windows profile and application data on App Volumes'
user writable disks. An end user's user writable disk is attached to an instant clone desktop when the
end user logs in. In addition, user writable disks can be used to persist user-installed applications.
nDue to short-lived nature of instant-clone desktops, instant clones do not support the space-efficient
disk format (SE sparse), with its wipe and shrink process.
nInstant-clone desktop pools are compatible with Storage vMotion. View Composer linked-clone
desktop pools are not compatible with Storage vMotion.
Reducing Storage Requirements with View Composer
Because View Composer creates desktop images that share virtual disks with a base image, you can
reduce the required storage capacity by 50 to 90 percent.
View Composer uses a base image, or parent virtual machine, and creates a pool of up to 2,000 linked-
clone virtual machines. Each linked clone acts like an independent desktop, with a unique host name and
IP address, yet the linked clone requires significantly less storage.
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Replica and Linked Clones on the Same Datastore
When you create a linked-clone desktop pool or farm of Microsoft RDS hosts, a full clone is first made
from the parent virtual machine. The full clone, or replica, and the clones linked to it can be placed on the
same data store, or LUN (logical unit number). If necessary, you can use the rebalance feature to move
the replica and linked-clone desktop pools from one LUN to another or to move linked-clone desktop
pools to a Virtual SAN datastore or from a Virtual SAN datastore to a LUN.
Replica and Linked Clones on Dierent Datastores
Alternatively, you can place View Composer replicas and linked clones on separate datastores with
different performance characteristics. For example, you can store the replica virtual machines on a solid-
state drive (SSD). Solid-state drives have low storage capacity and high read performance, typically
supporting tens of thousands of I/Os per second (IOPS). You can store linked clones on traditional,
spinning media-backed datastores. These disks provide lower performance, but are less expensive and
provide higher storage capacity, which makes them suited for storing the many linked clones in a large
pool. Tiered storage configurations can be used to cost-effectively handle intensive I/O scenarios such as
simultaneous rebooting of many virtual machines or running scheduled antivirus scans.
For more information, see the best-practices guide called Storage Considerations for VMware View.
If you use Virtual SAN datastores or Virtual Volumes datastores, you cannot manually select different
datastores for replicas and linked clones. Because the Virtual SAN and Virtual Volumes features
automatically place objects on the appropriate type of disk and cache of all I/O operations, there is no
need to use replica tiering for Virtual SAN and Virtual Volumes datastores.
Disposable Disks for Paging and Temp Files
When you create a linked-clone pool or farm, you can also optionally configure a separate, disposable
virtual disk to store the guest operating system's paging and temp files that are generated during user
sessions. When the virtual machine is powered off, the disposable disk is deleted. Using disposable disks
can save storage space by slowing the growth of linked clones and reducing the space used by powered
off virtual machines.
Persistent Disks for Dedicated Desktops
When you create dedicated-assignment desktop pools, View Composer can also optionally create a
separate persistent virtual disk for each virtual desktop. The end user's Windows profile and application
data are saved on the persistent disk. When a linked clone is refreshed, recomposed, or rebalanced, the
contents of the persistent virtual disk are preserved. VMware recommends that you keep View Composer
persistent disks on a separate datastore. You can then back up the whole LUN that holds persistent disks.
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Storing View Composer Linked Clones on Local
Datastores
Linked-clone virtual machines can be stored on local datastores, which are internal spare disks on ESXi
hosts. Local storage offers advantages such as inexpensive hardware, fast virtual-machine provisioning,
high performance power operations, and simple management. However, using local storage limits the
vSphere infrastructure configuration options that are available to you. Using local storage is beneficial in
certain View environments but not appropriate in others.
Note The limitations described in this topic do not apply to Virtual SAN datastores, which also use local
storage disks but require specific hardware.
Using local datastores is most likely to work well if the View desktops in your environment are stateless.
For example, you might use local datastores if you deploy stateless kiosks or classroom and training
stations.
Consider using local datastores if your virtual machines have floating assignments, are not dedicated to
individual end users, do not require persistent disks for user data, and can be deleted or refreshed at
regular intervals such as on user logoff. This approach lets you control the disk usage on each local
datastore without having to move or load-balance the virtual machines across datastores.
However, you must consider the restrictions that using local datastores imposes on your View desktop or
farm deployment:
nYou cannot use VMotion to manage volumes.
nYou cannot load-balance virtual machines across a resource pool. For example, you cannot use the
View Composer rebalance operation with linked-clones that are stored on local datastores.
nYou cannot use VMware High Availability.
nYou cannot use the vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS).
nYou cannot store a View Composer replica and linked clones on separate datastores if the replica is
on a local datastore.
When you store linked clones on local datastores, VMware strongly recommends that you store the
replica on the same volume as the linked clones. Although it is possible to store linked clones on local
datastores and the replica on a shared datastore if all ESXi hosts in the cluster can access the
replica, VMware does not recommend this configuration.
nIf you select local spinning-disk drives, performance might not match that of a commercially available
storage array. Local spinning-disk drives and a storage array might have similar capacity, but local
spinning-disk drives do not have the same throughput as a storage array. Throughput increases as
the number of spindles grows.
If you select direct attached solid-state disks (SSDs), performance is likely to exceed that of many storage
arrays.
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You can store linked clones on a local datastore without constraints if you configure the desktop pool or
farm on a single ESXi host or a cluster that contains a single ESXi host. However, using a single ESXi
host limits the size of the desktop pool or farm that you can configure.
To configure a large desktop pool or farm, you must select a cluster that contains multiple ESXi hosts with
the collective capacity to support a large number of virtual machines.
If you intend to take advantage of the benefits of local storage, you must carefully consider the
consequences of not having VMotion, HA, DRS, and other features available. If you manage local disk
usage by controlling the number and disk growth of the virtual machines, if you use floating assignments
and perform regular refresh and delete operations, you can successfully deploy linked clones to local
datastores.
Storing Replicas and Clones on Separate Datastores for
Instant Clones and View Composer Linked Clones
You can place replicas and clones on separate datastores with different performance characteristics. This
configuration can speed up disk-intensive operations such as provisioning or running antivirus scans,
especially for View Composer linked clones.
For example, you can store the replica VMs on a solid-state disk-backed datastore. Solid-state disks have
low storage capacity and high read performance, typically supporting 20,000 I/Os per second (IOPS). A
typical environment has only a small number of replica VMs, so replicas do not require much storage.
You can store clones on traditional, spinning media-backed datastores. These disks provide lower
performance, typically supporting 200 IOPS. They are cheap and provide high storage capacity, which
makes them suited for storing the a large number of clones.
Configuring replicas and clones in this way can reduce the impact of I/O storms that occur when many
clones are created at once, especially for View Composer linked clones. For example, if you deploy a
floating-assignment pool with a delete-machine-on-logoff policy, and your users start work at the same
time, View must concurrently provision new machines for them.
Important This feature is designed for specific storage configurations provided by vendors who offer
high-performance disk solutions. Do not store replicas on a separate datastore if your storage hardware
does not support high-read performance.
You must follow certain requirements when you store the replica and clones in a pool on separate
datastores:
nYou can specify only one separate replica datastore for a pool.
nThe replica datastore must be accessible from all ESXi hosts in the cluster.
nFor View Composer linked clones, if the clones are on local datastores, VMware strongly
recommends that you store the replica on the same volume as the linked clones. Although it is
possible to store linked clones on local datastores and the replica on a shared datastore if all ESXi
hosts in the cluster can access the replica, VMware does not recommend this configuration.
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nThis feature is not available you use Virtual SAN datastores or Virtual Volumes datastores. These
types of datastores use Software Policy-Based Management, so that storage profiles define which
components go on which types of disks.
Availability Considerations for Storing Replicas on a Separate
Datastore
You can store replica VMs on a separate datastore or on the same datastores as the clones. These
configurations affect the availability of the pool in different ways.
When you store replicas on the same datastores as the clones, to enhance availability, a separate replica
is created on each datastore. If a datastore becomes unavailable, only the clones on that datastore are
affected. Clones on other datastores continue to run.
When you store replicas on a separate datastore, all clones in the pool are anchored to the replicas on
that datastore. If the datastore becomes unavailable, the entire pool is unavailable.
To enhance the availability of the desktop pool, you can configure a high-availability solution for the
datastore on which you store the replicas.
Storage Sizing for Instant-Clone and View Composer
Linked-Clone Desktop Pools
View provides high-level guidelines that can help you determine how much storage an instant-clone or
linked-clone desktop pool requires. A table in the Add Desktop Pool wizard shows a general estimate of
the desktop pool's storage requirements.
The storage-sizing table also displays the free space on the datastores that you select for storing OS
disks, View Composer persistent disks (for View Composer linked clones only), and replicas. You can
decide which datastores to use by comparing the actual free space with the estimated requirements for
the desktop pool.
The formulas that View uses can only provide a general estimate of storage use. The clones' actual
storage growth depends on many factors:
nAmount of memory assigned to the parent virtual machine
nFrequency of refresh operations (for View Composer linked clones only)
nSize of the guest operating system's paging file
nWhether you redirect paging and temp files to a separate disk (for View Composer linked clones only)
nWhether you configure separate View Composer persistent disks (for View Composer linked clones
only)
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nWorkload on the desktop machines, determined primarily by the types of applications that users run
in the guest operating system
Note In a deployment that includes hundreds or thousands of clones, configure your desktop pool so
that particular sets of datastores are dedicated to particular ESXi clusters. Do not configure pools
randomly across all the datastores so that most or all ESXi hosts must access most or all LUNs.
When too many ESXi hosts attempt to write to the OS disks on a particular LUN, contention problems can
occur, degrading performance and interfering with scalability. For more information about datastore
planning in large deployments, see the View Architecture Planning document.
Sizing Guidelines for Instant-Clone and Linked-Clone Pools
When you create or edit an instant-clone or linked-clone desktop pool, the Select Linked (or Instant)
Clone Datastores page displays a table that provides storage-sizing guidelines. The table can help you
to decide which datastores to select for the linked-clone disks. The guidelines calculate space needed for
new linked clones.
Sizing Table for OS Disks and Persistent Disks
Table 13‑2 shows an example of storage-sizing recommendations that might be displayed for a pool of 10
virtual machines if the parent virtual machine has 1GB of memory and a 10GB replica. In this example,
different datastores are selected for OS disks and View Composer persistent disks.
Note The persistent disk information is for View Composer linked clones only. Instant clones do not
support persistent disks.
Table 13‑2. Example Sizing Table for OS and Persistent Disks
Data Type
Selected Free Space
(GB)
Min Recommended
(GB) 50% Utilization (GB)
Max Recommended
(GB)
OS disks 184.23 40.00 80.00 130.00
Persistent disks 28.56 4.00 10.00 20.00
The Selected Free Space column shows the total available space on all of the datastores that you
selected for a disk type such as OS disks.
The Min Recommended column shows the minimum amount of recommended storage for a pool.
The 50% Utilization column shows the recommended storage when the disks grow to 50% of the parent
virtual machine.
The Max Recommended column shows the recommended storage when the disks approach the full size
of the parent virtual machine.
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If you store OS disks and persistent disks on the same datastore, View calculates the storage
requirements of both disk types. The Data Type is shown as Linked clones or Instant clones instead of
a particular disk type.
If you store View Composer replicas on a separate datastore, the table also shows storage
recommendations for the replicas and adjusts the recommendations for OS disks.
Sizing Guidelines for View Composer Linked Clones
The table provides general guidelines. Your storage calculations must account for additional factors that
can affect actual storage growth in the clones.
For OS disks, your sizing estimates depend on how frequently you refresh and recompose the pool.
If you refresh your linked-clone pool between once a day and once a week, make sure that the Selected
Free Space can accommodate storage use between the Min Recommended and 50% Utilization
estimates.
If you rarely refresh or recompose the pool, the linked-clone disks continue to grow. Make sure that the
Selected Free Space can accommodate storage use between the 50 % Utilization and Max
Recommended estimates.
For persistent disks, your sizing estimates depend on the amount of Windows profile data that users
generate on their desktops. Refresh and recompose operations do not affect persistent disks.
Sizing Guidelines When You Edit an Existing Desktop Pool
View estimates the storage space that is needed for new clones. When you create a desktop pool, the
sizing guidelines encompass the entire pool. When you edit an existing desktop pool, the guidelines
encompass only the new clones that you add to the pool.
For example, if you add 100 clones to a desktop pool and select a new datastore, View estimates space
requirements for the 100 new clones.
If you select a new datastore but keep the desktop pool the same size, or reduce the number of clones,
the sizing guidelines show as 0. The values of 0 reflect that no new clones must be created on the
selected datastore. Space requirements for the existing clones are already accounted for.
How View Calculates the Minimum Sizing Recommendations
To arrive at a minimum recommendation for OS disks, View estimates that each clone consumes twice its
memory size when it is first created and started up. If no memory is reserved for a clone, an ESXi swap
file is created for a clone as soon as it is powered on. The size of the guest operating system's paging file
also affects the growth of a clone's OS disk.
In the minimum recommendation for OS disks, View also includes space for two replicas on each
datastore. View Composer creates one replica when a pool is created. When the pool is recomposed for
the first time, View Composer creates a second replica on the datastore, anchors the clones to the new
replica, and deletes the first replica if no other clones are using original snapshot. The datastore must
have the capacity to store two replicas during the recompose operation.
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By default, replicas use vSphere thin provisioning, but to keep the guidelines simple, View accounts for
two replicas that use the same space as the parent virtual machine.
To arrive at a minimum recommendation for persistent disks, View calculates 20% of the disk size that
you specify on the View Composer Disks page of the Add Desktop Pool wizard.
Note The calculations for persistent disks are based on static threshold values, in gigabytes. For
example, if you specify a persistent disk size of any value between 1024MB and 2047MB, View calculates
the persistent disk size as 1GB. If you specify a disk size of 2048MB, View calculates the disk size as
2GB.
To arrive at a recommendation for storing replicas on a separate datastore, View allows space for two
replicas on the datastore. The same value is calculated for minimum and maximum usage.
For details, see Sizing Formulas for Instant-Clone and Linked-Clone Pools.
Sizing Guidelines and Storage Overcommit for View Composer Linked Clones
Note Instant clones do not support storage overcommit.
After you estimate storage requirements, select datastores, and deploy the pool, View provisions linked-
clone virtual machines on different datastores based on the free space and the existing clones on each
datastore.
Based on the storage-overcommit option that you select on the Select Linked Clone Datastores page in
the Add Desktop Pool wizard, View stops provisioning new clones and reserves free space for the
existing clones. This behavior ensures that a growth buffer exists for each machine in the datastore.
If you select an aggressive storage-overcommit level, the estimated storage requirements might exceed
the capacity shown in the Selected Free Space column. The storage-overcommit level affects how many
virtual machines that View actually creates on a datastore.
For details, see Set the Storage Overcommit Level for Linked-Clone Virtual Machines.
Sizing Formulas for Instant-Clone and Linked-Clone Pools
Storage-sizing formulas can help you estimate how much disk space is required on the datastores that
you select for OS disks, View Composer persistent disks, and replicas.
Note The persistent disk information is for View Composer linked clones only. Instant clones do not
support persistent disks.
Storage Sizing Formulas
Table 13‑3 shows the formulas that calculate the estimated sizes of the disks when you create a pool and
as the clones grow over time. These formulas include the space for replica disks that are stored with the
clones on the datastore.
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If you edit an existing pool or store replicas on a separate datastore, View uses a different sizing formula.
See Sizing Formulas for Creating Clones When You Edit a Pool or Store Replicas on a Separate
Datastore.
Table 13‑3. Storage Sizing Formulas for Clone Disks on Selected Datastores
Data Type
Selected Free Space
(GB)
Min Recommended
(GB) 50% Utilization (GB)
Max Recommended
(GB)
OS disks Free space on the
selected datastores
Number of VMs * (2 *
memory of VM) + (2 *
replica disk)
Number of VMs * (50%
of replica disk +
memory of VM) + (2 *
replica disk)
Number of VMs * (100%
of replica disk + memory
of VM) + (2 * replica
disk)
Persistent disks Free space on the
selected datastores
Number of VMs * 20%
of persistent disk
Number of VMs * 50%
of persistent disk
Number of VMs * 100%
of persistent disk
Example of a Storage Sizing Estimate
In this example, the parent virtual machine is configured with 1GB of memory. The parent virtual
machine's disk size is 10GB. A pool is created with 10 machines. Persistent disks are configured as
2048MB in size.
The OS disks are configured on a datastore that currently has 184.23GB of available space. The
persistent disks are configured on a different datastore with 28.56GB of available space.
Table 13‑4 shows how the sizing formulas calculate estimated storage requirements for the sample
desktop pool.
Table 13‑4. Example of a Sizing Estimate for Clone Disks Deployed on Selected Datastores
Data Type
Selected Free Space
(GB)
Min Recommended
(GB) 50% Utilization (GB)
Max Recommended
(GB)
OS disks 184.23 10 * (2*1GB)
+ (2*10GB) =
40.00
10 * (50% of 10GB
+ 1GB) + (2*10GB) =
80.00
10 * (100% of 10GB
+ 1GB) + (2*10GB) =
130.00
Persistent disks 28.56 10 * (20% of 2GB) =
4.00
10 * (50% of 2GB) =
10.00
10 * (100% of 2GB) =
20.00
Sizing Formulas for Creating Clones When You Edit a Pool or
Store Replicas on a Separate Datastore
View calculates different sizing formulas when you edit an existing desktop pool, or store replicas on a
separate datastore, than when you first create a pool.
If you edit an existing pool and select datastores for the pool, View Composer creates new clones on the
selected datastores. The new clones are anchored to the existing snapshot and use the existing replica
disk. No new replicas are created.
View estimates the sizing requirements of new clones that are added to the desktop pool. View does not
include the existing clones in the calculation.
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If you store replicas on a separate datastore, the other selected datastores are dedicated to the OS disks.
Table 13‑5 shows the formulas that calculate the estimated sizes of clone disks when you edit a pool or
store replicas on a separate datastore.
Table 13‑5. Storage Sizing Formulas for Clone Disks When You Edit a Pool or Store Replicas
on a Separate Datastore
Data Type
Selected Free Space
(GB)
Min Recommended
(GB) 50% Utilization (GB)
Max Recommended
(GB)
OS disks Free space on the
selected datastores
Number of new VMs *
(2 * memory of VM)
Number of new VMs *
(50% of replica disk +
memory of VM)
Number of new VMs *
(100% of replica disk +
memory of VM)
Persistent disks Free space on the
selected datastores
Number of new VMs *
20% of persistent disk
Number of new VMs *
50% of persistent disk
Number of new VMs *
100% of persistent disk
Example of a Storage Sizing Estimate When You Edit a Pool or Store Replicas
on a Separate Datastore
In this example, the parent virtual machine is configured with 1GB of memory. The parent virtual
machine's disk size is 10GB. A pool is created with 10 machines. Persistent disks are configured as
2048MB in size.
The OS disks are configured on a datastore that currently has 184.23GB of available space. The
persistent disks are configured on a different datastore with 28.56GB of available space.
Table 13‑6 shows how the sizing formulas calculate estimated storage requirements for the sample pool.
Table 13‑6. Example of a Sizing Estimate for Clone Disks When You Edit a Pool or Store
Replicas on a Separate Datastore
Data Type
Selected Free Space
(GB)
Min Recommended
(GB) 50% Utilization (GB)
Max Recommended
(GB)
OS disks 184.23 10 * (2*1GB) =
20.00
10 * (50% of 10GB
+ 1GB) =
60.00
10 * (100% of 10GB
+ 1GB) =
110.00
Persistent disks 28.56 10 * (20% of 2GB) =
4.00
10 * (50% of 2GB) =
10.00
10 * (100% of 2GB) =
20.00
Storage Overcommit for View Composer Linked-Clone
Virtual Machines
With the storage overcommit feature, you can reduce storage costs by placing more linked-clone virtual
machines on a datastore than is possible with full virtual machines. The linked clones can use a logical
storage space several times greater than the physical capacity of the datastore.
Note Instant clones do not support storage overcommit.
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This feature helps you choose a storage level that lets you overcommit the datastore's capacity and sets
a limit on the number of linked clones that View creates. You can avoid either wasting storage by
provisioning too conservatively or risking that the linked clones will run out of disk space and cause the
operating system or applications to fail.
For example, you can create at most ten full virtual machines on a 100GB datastore, if each virtual
machine is 10GB. When you create linked clones from a 10GB parent virtual machine, each clone is a
fraction of that size.
If you set a conservative overcommit level, View allows the clones to use four times the physical size of
the datastore, measuring each clone as if it were the size of the parent virtual machine. On a 100GB
datastore, with a 10GB parent, View provisions approximately 40 linked clones. View does not provision
more clones, even if the datastore has free space. This limit keeps a growth buffer for the existing clones.
Table 13‑7 shows the storage overcommit levels you can set.
Table 13‑7. Storage Overcommit Levels
Option Storage Overcommit Level
None Storage is not overcommitted.
Conservative 4 times the size of the datastore. This is the default level.
Moderate 7 times the size of the datastore.
Aggressive 15 times the size of the datastore.
Storage overcommit levels provide a high-level guide for determining storage capacity. To determine the
best level, monitor the growth of linked clones in your environment.
Set an aggressive level if your OS disks will never grow to their maximum possible size. An aggressive
overcommit level demands attention. To make sure that the linked clones do not run out of disk space,
you can periodically refresh or rebalance the desktop pool and reduce the linked clones' OS data to its
original size. Automated farms do not support refresh or rebalance. If the linked clones in an automated
farm are in danger of running out of disk space, change the overcommit level.
For example, it would make sense to set an aggressive overcommit level for a floating-assignment
desktop pool in which the virtual machines are set to delete or refresh after logoff.
You can vary storage overcommit levels among different types of datastores to address the different
levels of throughput in each datastore. For example, a NAS datastore can have a different setting than a
SAN datastore.
Set the Storage Overcommit Level for Linked-Clone Virtual
Machines
You can control how aggressively View creates linked-clone virtual machines on a datastore by using the
storage overcommit feature. This feature lets you create linked clones that have a total logical size larger
than the physical storage limit of the datastore.
This feature works only with linked-clone pools and automated farms.
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The storage overcommit level calculates the amount of storage greater than the physical size of the
datastore that the clones would use if each clone were a full virtual machine. For details, see Storage
Overcommit for View Composer Linked-Clone Virtual Machines. The following procedure applies to
linked-clone desktop pools. The steps are similar for automated farms.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2When you create a new desktop pool or edit an existing pool, navigate to the vCenter Settings page.
Option Action
New desktop pool a Click Add.
b Proceed through the Add Desktop Pool wizard until the vCenter Settings
page appears.
Existing desktop pool a Select the linked-clone pool and click Edit.
b Click the vCenter Settings tab.
3On the vCenter Settings page, click Browse next to Datastores.
4Select the datastore on the Select Linked Clone Datastores page.
A drop-down menu appears in the Storage Overcommit column for the selected datastore.
5Select the storage overcommit level from the drop-down menu.
Option Description
None Storage is not overcommitted.
Conservative 4 times the size of the datastore. This is the default level.
Moderate 7 times the size of the datastore.
Aggressive 15 times the size of the datastore.
Unbounded View does not limit the number of linked-clone machines that it creates based on
the physical capacity of the datastore. Select this level only if you are certain that
the datastore has enough storage capacity to accommodate all of the machines
and their future growth.
6Click OK.
View Composer Linked-Clone Data Disks
View Composer creates more than one data disk to store the components of a linked-clone virtual
machine.
OS Disk
View Composer creates an OS disk for each linked clone. This disk stores the system data that the clone
needs to remain linked to the base image and to function as a unique virtual machine.
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QuickPrep Configuration-Data Disk
View Composer creates a second disk with the OS disk. The second disk stores QuickPrep configuration
data and other OS-related data that must be preserved during refresh and recompose operations. This
disk is small, typically about 20MB. This disk is created whether you use QuickPrep or Sysprep to
customize the virtual machine.
If you configure separate View Composer persistent disks to store user profiles, three disks are
associated with each linked clone: the OS disk, the second virtual machine disk, and the View Composer
persistent disk.
The second virtual machine disk is stored on the same datastore as the OS disk. You cannot configure
this disk.
View Composer Persistent Disk
In a dedicated-assignment pool, you can configure separate View Composer persistent disks to store
Windows user-profile data. This disk is optional.
Separate persistent disks let you preserve user data and settings. View Composer refresh, recompose,
and rebalance operations do not affect persistent disks. You can detach a persistent disk from a linked
clone and attach it to another linked clone.
If you do not configure separate persistent disks, the Windows profile is stored in the OS disk. User data
and settings are removed during refresh, recompose, and rebalance operations.
You can store persistent disks on the same datastore as the OS disk or on a different datastore.
Disposable-Data Disk
When you create a linked-clone pool, you can configure a separate, nonpersistent disk to store the guest
OS's paging and temp files that are generated during user sessions. You must specify the disk size in
megabytes.
This disk is optional.
When the linked clone is powered off, View replaces the disposable-data disk with a copy of the original
disk that View Composer created with the linked-clone pool. Linked clones can increase in size as users
interact with their desktops. Using disposable-data disks can save storage space by slowing the growth of
linked clones.
The disposable-data disk is stored on the same datastore as the OS disk.
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Configure View Storage Accelerator for View Composer
Linked Clones
You can configure View Composer linked-clone desktop pools to enable ESXi hosts to cache virtual
machine disk data. This feature, called View Storage Accelerator, uses the Content Based Read Cache
(CBRC) feature in ESXi hosts. View Storage Accelerator can reduce IOPS and improve performance
during boot storms, when many machines start up or run anti-virus scans at once. The feature is also
beneficial when administrators or users load applications or data frequently. To use this feature, you must
make sure that View Storage Accelerator is enabled for individual desktop pools.
Note If you enable View Storage Accelerator on an existing linked-clone desktop pool, and the replica
was not previously enabled for View Storage Accelerator, this feature might not take effect right away.
View Storage Accelerator cannot be enabled while the replica is in use. You can force View Storage
Accelerator to be enabled by recomposing the desktop pool to a new parent virtual machine. For instant
clones, this feature is automatically enabled and is not configurable.
When a virtual machine is created, View indexes the contents of each virtual disk file. The indexes are
stored in a virtual machine digest file. At runtime, the ESXi host reads the digest files and caches
common blocks of data in memory. To keep the ESXi host cache up to date, View regenerates the digest
files at specified intervals and when the virtual machine is recomposed. You can modify the regeneration
interval.
You can enable View Storage Accelerator on pools that contain linked clones and pools that contain full
virtual machines.
Native NFS snapshot technology (VAAI) is not supported in pools that are enabled for View Storage
Accelerator.
View Storage Accelerator is enabled for a pool by default. The feature can be disabled or enabled when
you create or edit a pool. The best approach is to enable this feature when you first create a desktop
pool. If you enable the feature by editing an existing pool, you must ensure that a new replica and its
digest disks are created before linked clones are provisioned. You can create a replica by recomposing
the pool to a new snapshot or rebalancing the pool to a new datastore. Digest files can only be configured
for the virtual machines in a desktop pool when they are powered off.
View Storage Accelerator is now qualified to work in configurations that use View replica tiering, in which
replicas are stored on a separate datastore than linked clones. Although the performance benefits of
using View Storage Accelerator with View replica tiering are not materially significant, certain capacity-
related benefits might be realized by storing the replicas on a separate datastore. As a result, this
combination is tested and supported.
Important If you plan to use this feature and you are using multiple View pods that share some ESXi
hosts, you must enable the View Storage Accelerator feature for all pools that are on the shared ESXi
hosts. Having inconsistent settings in multiple pods can cause instability of the virtual machines on the
shared ESXi hosts.
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Prerequisites
nVerify that your vCenter Server and ESXi hosts are version 5.0 or later.
In an ESXi cluster, verify that all the hosts are version 5.0 or later.
nVerify that the vCenter Server user was assigned the Host > Configuration > Advanced settings
privilege in vCenter Server. See the topics in the View Installation documentation that describe View
and View Composer privileges required for the vCenter Server user.
nVerify that View Storage Accelerator is enabled in vCenter Server. See the View Administration
document.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, display the Advanced Storage Options page.
Option Description
New desktop pool (recommended) Start the Add Desktop Pool wizard to begin creating an automated desktop pool.
Follow the wizard configuration prompts until you reach the Advanced Storage
page.
Existing desktop pool Select the existing pool, click Edit, and click the Advanced Storage tab.
If you modify View Storage Accelerator settings for an existing desktop pool, the
changes do not take effect until the virtual machines in the desktop pool are
powered off.
2To enable View Storage Accelerator for the pool, make sure that the Use View Storage Accelerator
check box is selected.
This setting is selected by default. To disable the setting, uncheck the Use View Storage
Accelerator box.
3(Optional) Specify which disk types to cache by selecting OS disks only or OS and persistent disks
from the Disk Types menu.
OS disks is selected by default.
If you configure View Storage Accelerator for full virtual machines, you cannot select a disk type. View
Storage Accelerator is performed on the whole virtual machine.
4(Optional) In the Regenerate storage accelerator after text box, specify the interval, in days, after
which the regeneration for View Storage Accelerator digest files take place.
The default regeneration interval is seven days.
What to do next
You can configure blackout days and times during which disk space reclamation and View Storage
Accelerator regeneration do not take place. See Set Storage Accelerator and Space Reclamation
Blackout Times for View Composer Linked Clones.
If you enable View Storage Accelerator by editing an existing pool, recompose the desktop pool to a new
snapshot or rebalance the pool to a new datastore before linked clones are provisioned.
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Reclaim Disk Space on View Composer Linked Clones
In vSphere 5.1 and later, you can configure the disk space reclamation feature for View Composer linked-
clone desktop pools and automated farms. Starting in vSphere 5.1, View creates linked-clone virtual
machines in an efficient disk format that allows ESXi hosts to reclaim unused disk space on the linked
clones, reducing the total storage space required for linked clones.
Note For instant clones, this feature is not needed because the clones are always recreated when users
log off.
As users interact with the virtual machines, the linked clones' OS disks grow and can eventually use
almost as much disk space as full-clone virtual machines. Disk space reclamation reduces the size of the
OS disks without requiring you to refresh or recompose the linked clones. Space can be reclaimed while
the virtual machines are powered on and users are interacting with the machines.
In View Administrator, you cannot directly initiate disk space reclamation for a pool. You determine when
View initiates disk space reclamation by specifying the minimum amount of unused disk space that must
accumulate on a linked-clone OS disk to trigger the operation. When the unused disk space exceeds the
specified threshold, View directs the ESXi host to reclaim space on that OS disk. View applies the
threshold to each virtual machine in the pool.
You can use the vdmadmin -M option to initiate disk space reclamation on a particular virtual machine for
demonstration or troubleshooting purposes. See the View Administration document.
You can configure disk space reclamation on linked clones when you create a new pool or edit an existing
pool. For an existing pool, see "Tasks for Upgrading Pools to Use Space Reclamation" in the View
Upgrades document.
Note This feature is not available for virtual machines stored on a Virtual SAN datastore or a Virtual
Volumes datastore.
If a View Composer is refreshing, recomposing, or rebalancing linked clones, disk space reclamation
does not take place on those linked clones.
Disk space reclamation operates only on OS disks in linked clones. The feature does not affect View
Composer persistent disks and does not operate on full-clone virtual machines.
Native NFS snapshot technology (VAAI) is not supported in pools that contain virtual machines with
space-efficient disks.
The following procedure applies to linked-clone desktop pools. The steps are similar for automated farms.
Prerequisites
nVerify that your vCenter Server and ESXi hosts, including all ESXi hosts in a cluster, are version 5.1
with ESXi 5.1 download patch ESXi510-201212001 or later.
nVerify that VMware Tools that are provided with vSphere version 5.1 or later are installed on all the
linked-clone virtual machines in the pool.
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nVerify that all the linked-clone virtual machines in the pool are virtual hardware version 9 or later.
nVerify that the virtual machines use SCSI controllers. Disk space reclamation is not supported on
virtual machines with IDE controllers.
nFor Windows 10 virtual machines, verify that the machines are running in vSphere 5.5 U3 or later.
nFor Windows 8 or 8.1 virtual machines, verify that the machines are running in vSphere 5.5 or later.
Disk space reclamation is supported on Windows 8 or 8.1 virtual machines in vSphere 5.5 or later.
nFor Windows 7 virtual machines, verify that the machines are running in vSphere 5.1 or later.
nVerify that disk space reclamation is enabled in vCenter Server. This option ensures that the virtual
machines in the pool are created in the efficient disk format that is required to reclaim disk space. See
the View Administration document.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, display the Advanced Storage page.
Option Description
New desktop pool Start the Add Desktop Pool wizard to begin creating an automated desktop pool.
Follow the wizard configuration prompts until you reach the Advanced Storage
page.
Existing desktop pool Select the existing pool, click Edit, and click the Advanced Storage tab. To
upgrade a pool to support space reclamation, see "Upgrade Desktop Pools for
Space Reclamation" in the View Upgrades document.
2Select the Reclaim VM disk space check box.
3In the Initiate reclamation when unused space on VM exceeds text box, type the minimum
amount of unused disk space, in gigabytes, that must accumulate on a linked-clone OS disk before
ESXi starts reclaiming space on that disk.
For example: 2 GB.
The default value is 1 GB.
What to do next
You can configure blackout days and times during which disk space reclamation and regeneration for
View Storage Accelerator do not take place. See Set Storage Accelerator and Space Reclamation
Blackout Times for View Composer Linked Clones.
In View Administrator, you can select Catalog > Desktop Pools and select a machine to display the last
time space reclamation occurred and the last amount of space reclaimed on the machine.
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Using VAAI Storage for View Composer Linked Clones
If your deployment includes NAS devices that support the vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI), you
can enable the View Composer Array Integration (VCAI) feature on View Composer linked-clone desktop
pools. This feature uses native NFS snapshot technology to clone virtual machines.
Note In Horizon 7.0, instant clones do not support VAAI.
With this technology, the NFS disk array clones the virtual machine files without having the ESXi host
read and write the data. This operation might reduce the time and network load when virtual machines
are cloned.
Apply these guidelines for using native NFS snapshot technology:
nYou can use this feature only if you configure desktop pools or automated farms on datastores that
reside on NAS devices that support native cloning operations through VAAI.
nYou can use View Composer features to manage linked clones that are created by native NFS
snapshot technology. For example, you can refresh, recompose, rebalance, create persistent disks,
and run QuickPrep customization scripts on these clones.
nYou cannot use this feature if you store replicas and OS disks on separate datastores.
nThis feature is supported on vSphere 5.0 and later.
nIf you edit a pool and select or deselect the native NFS cloning feature, existing virtual machines are
not affected.
To change existing virtual machines from native NFS clones to traditional redo log clones, you must
deselect the native NFS cloning feature and recompose the pool to a new base image. To change the
cloning method for all virtual machines in a pool and use a different datastore, you must select the
new datastore, deselect the native NFS cloning feature, rebalance the pool to the new datastore, and
recompose the pool to a new base image.
Similarly, to change virtual machines from traditional redo log clones to native NFS clones, you must
select a NAS datastore that supports VAAI, select the native NFS cloning feature, rebalance the pool
to the NAS datastore, and recompose the pool. For more information, see
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2088995.
nOn an ESXi cluster, to configure native cloning on a selected NFS datastore in View Administrator,
you might have to install vendor-specific NAS plug-ins that support native cloning operations on VAAI
on all ESXi hosts in the cluster. See your storage vendor documentation for guidance on configuration
requirements.
nNative NFS snapshot technology (VAAI) is not supported on virtual machines with space-efficient
disks.
nThis feature is not available if you use a Virtual SAN datastore or a Virtual Volumes datastore.
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nSee VMware Knowledge Base (KB) article 2061611 for answers to frequently asked questions about
VCAI support in View.
Important NAS storage vendors might provide additional settings that can affect the performance and
operation of VAAI. You should follow the vendor's recommendations and configure the appropriate
settings on both the NAS storage array and ESXi. See your storage vendor documentation for guidance
on configuring vendor-recommended settings.
Set Storage Accelerator and Space Reclamation Blackout
Times for View Composer Linked Clones
For View Composer linked clones, regenerating digest files for View Storage Accelerator and reclaiming
virtual machine disk space can use ESXi resources. To ensure that ESXi resources are dedicated to
foreground tasks when necessary, you can prevent the ESXi hosts from performing these operations
during specified periods of time on specified days.
Note For instant clones, this feature is not needed.
For example, you can specify a blackout period during weekday morning hours when users start work,
and boot storms and anti-virus scanning I/O storms take place. You can specify different blackout times
on different days.
Disk space reclamation and View Storage Accelerator digest file regeneration do not occur during
blackout times that you set. You cannot set separate blackout times for each operation.
View allows View Storage Accelerator digest files to be created for new machines during the provisioning
stage, even when a blackout time is in effect.
The following procedure applies to linked-clone desktop pools. The steps are similar for automated farms.
Prerequisites
nVerify that Enable View Storage Accelerator, Enable space reclamation, or both features are
selected for vCenter Server.
nVerify that Use View Storage Accelerator, Reclaim VM disk space, or both features are selected
for the desktop pool.
Procedure
1On the Advanced Storage page in the Add Desktop Pool wizard, go to Blackout Times and click
Add.
If you are editing an existing pool, click the Advanced Storage tab.
2Check the blackout days and specify the starting and ending times.
The time selector uses a 24-hour clock. For example, 10:00 is 10:00 a.m., and 22:00 is 10:00 p.m.
3Click OK.
4To add another blackout period, click Add and specify another period.
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5To modify or remove a blackout period, select the period from the Blackout times list and click Edit or
Remove.
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Configuring User Profiles with
Horizon Persona Management 14
With Horizon Persona Management, you can configure user profiles that are dynamically synchronized
with a remote profile repository. This feature gives users access to a personalized desktop experience
whenever they log in to a desktop. Horizon Persona Management expands the functionality and improves
the performance of Windows roaming profiles, but does not require Windows roaming profiles to operate.
You configure group policy settings to enable Horizon Persona Management and control various aspects
of your Horizon Persona Management deployment.
To enable and use Horizon Persona Management, you must have the appropriate VMware Horizon
license. See the VMware End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) at
http://www.vmware.com/download/eula .
This chapter includes the following topics:
nProviding User Personas in Horizon 7
nUsing Horizon Persona Management with Standalone Systems
nMigrating User Profiles with Horizon Persona Management
nHorizon Persona Management and Windows Roaming Profiles
nConfiguring a Horizon Persona Management Deployment
nBest Practices for Configuring a Horizon Persona Management Deployment
nHorizon Persona Management Group Policy Settings
Providing User Personas in Horizon 7
With the Horizon Persona Management feature, a user's remote profile is dynamically downloaded when
the user logs in to a Horizon 7 desktop. You can configure Horizon 7 to store user profiles in a secure,
centralized repository. Horizon 7 downloads persona information as the user needs it.
Horizon Persona Management is an alternative to Windows roaming profiles. Horizon Persona
Management expands functionality and improves performance compared to Windows roaming profiles.
You can configure and manage personas entirely within Horizon 7. You do not have to configure Windows
roaming profiles. If you have a Windows roaming profiles configuration, you can use your existing
repository configuration with Horizon 7.
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A user profile is independent of the Horizon 7 desktop. When a user logs in to any desktop, the same
profile appears.
For example, a user might log in to a floating-assignment, linked-clone desktop pool and change the
desktop background and Microsoft Word settings. When the user starts the next session, the virtual
machine is different, but the user sees the same settings.
A user profile comprises a variety of user-generated information:
nUser-specific data and desktop settings
nApplication data and settings
nWindows registry entries configured by user applications
Also, if you provision desktops with ThinApp applications, the ThinApp sandbox data can be stored in the
user profile and roamed with the user.
Horizon Persona Management minimizes the time it takes to log in to and log off of desktops. Login and
logoff time can be a problem with Windows roaming profiles.
nDuring login, Horizon 7 downloads only the files that Windows requires, such as user registry files.
Other files are copied to the local desktop when the user or an application opens them from the local
profile folder.
nHorizon 7 copies recent changes in the local profile to the remote repository, typically once every few
minutes. The default is every 10 minutes. You can specify how often to upload the local profile.
nDuring logoff, only files that were updated since the last replication are copied to the remote
repository.
Using Horizon Persona Management with Standalone
Systems
You can install a standalone version of Horizon Persona Management on physical computers and virtual
machines that are not managed by Horizon 7. With this software, you can manage user profiles across
Horizon desktops and standalone systems.
The standalone Horizon Persona Management software operates on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows
10, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2012 R2 operating systems.
You can use the standalone Horizon Persona Management software to accomplish these goals:
nShare user profiles across standalone systems and Horizon desktops.
Your users can continue to use standalone systems as well as Horizon desktops with Horizon
Persona Management. If you use the same Horizon Persona Management group policy settings to
control Horizon desktops and physical systems, users can receive their up-to-date profiles each time
they log in, whether they use their legacy computers or Horizon desktops.
Note Horizon Persona Management does not support concurrent active sessions. A user must log
out of one session before logging in to another.
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nMigrate user profiles from physical systems to Horizon desktops
If you intend to re-purpose legacy physical computers for use in a Horizon deployment, you can install
standalone Horizon Persona Management on the legacy systems before you roll out Horizon
desktops to your users. When users log in to their legacy systems, their profiles are stored on the
Horizon remote profile repository. When users log in to their Horizon desktops for the first time, their
existing profiles are downloaded to their Horizon desktops.
nPerform a staged migration from physical systems to Horizon desktops
If you migrate your deployment in stages, users who do not yet have access to Horizon desktops can
use standalone Horizon Persona Management. As each set of Horizon desktops is deployed, users
can access their profiles on their Horizon desktops, and the legacy systems can be phased out. This
scenario is a hybrid of the previous scenarios.
nSupport up-to-date profiles when users go offline.
Users of standalone laptops can disconnect from the network. When a user reconnects, Horizon
Persona Management uploads the latest changes in the user's local profile to the remote profile
repository.
Note Before a user can go offline, the user profile must be completely downloaded to the local
system.
Migrating User Profiles with Horizon Persona
Management
With Horizon Persona Management, you can migrate existing user profiles in a variety of settings to
Horizon desktops. When users log in to their Horizon desktops after a profile migration is complete, they
are presented with the personal settings and data that they used on their legacy systems.
By migrating user profiles, you can accomplish the following desktop migration goals:
nYou can upgrade Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 R2
Horizon desktops to Windows 10 Horizon desktops.
nYou can upgrade your users' systems from legacy Windows XP to Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows
Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 R2 and migrate your users from physical computers to
Horizon for the first time.
nYou can upgrade legacy Windows XP Horizon desktops to Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server
2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 R2 Horizon desktops.
nYou can migrate from physical computers to Horizon desktops without upgrading the operating
systems.
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To support these scenarios, Horizon Persona Management provides a profile migration utility and a
standalone Horizon Persona Management installer for physical or virtual machines that do not have View
Agent 5.x installed.
Important View Agent 6.1 and later releases do not support Windows XP and Windows Vista desktops.
View Agent 6.0.2 is the last release that supports these guest operating systems. Customers who have
an extended support agreement with Microsoft for Windows XP and Vista, and an extended support
agreement with VMware for these guest operating systems, can deploy the View Agent 6.0.2 version of
their Windows XP and Vista desktops with Connection Server 6.1.
With the user profile migration utility, you can perform an important task in a migration from a legacy
Windows XP desktop deployment to a desktop deployment that will continue to be supported in future
releases.
Table 14‑1 shows various migration scenarios and outlines the tasks you should perform in each
scenario.
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Table 14‑1. User Profile Migration Scenarios
If This Is Your Original
Deployment...
And This Is Your Destination
Deployment... Perform These Tasks:
Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows
Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server
2012 R2 Horizon desktops
Windows 10 Horizon desktops 1 Configure the Windows 10 Horizon desktops with
Horizon Persona Management for your users.
See Configuring a Horizon Persona Management
Deployment.
Note Do not roll out the Windows 10 Horizon
desktops to your users until you complete step 2.
2 Run the View V2 to V5 profile migration utility.
nFor the source profiles, specify the remote
profile repository for existing Windows 7,
Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2, or
Windows Server 2012 R2 Horizon desktops.
nFor the destination profiles, specify the
remote profile repository that you configured
for the Windows 10 Horizon desktops.
For details, see the View User Profile Migration
document.
3 Allow your users to log in to their Windows 10
Horizon desktops.
Windows XP physical computers Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows
Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server
2012 R2 Horizon desktops
1 Configure Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows
Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 R2
Horizon desktops with Horizon Persona
Management for your users. See Configuring a
Horizon Persona Management Deployment.
Note Do not roll out the Windows 7, Windows 8,
Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server
2012 R2 Horizon desktops to your users until you
complete step 2.
2 Run the View V1 to V2 profile migration utility.
nFor the source profiles, specify the local
profiles on the Windows XP physical
computers.
nFor the destination profiles, specify the
remote profile repository that you configured
for the Horizon deployment.
For details, see the View User Profile Migration
document.
3 Allow your users to log in to their Windows 7,
Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2, or
Windows Server 2012 R2 Horizon desktops.
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Table 14‑1. User Profile Migration Scenarios (Continued)
If This Is Your Original
Deployment...
And This Is Your Destination
Deployment... Perform These Tasks:
Windows XP physical computers or
virtual machines that use a roaming
user profile solution. For example,
your deployment might use one of
these solutions:
nHorizon Persona Management
nRTO Virtual Profiles
nWindows roaming profiles
In this scenario, the original user
profiles must be maintained in a
remote profile repository.
Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows
Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server
2012 R2 Horizon desktops
1 Configure Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows
Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 R2
Horizon desktops with Horizon Persona
Management for your users. See Configuring a
Horizon Persona Management Deployment.
Note Do not roll out the Windows 7, Windows 8,
Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server
2012 R2 Horizon desktops to your users until you
complete step 2.
2 Run the View V1 to V2 profile migration utility.
nFor the source profiles, specify the remote
profile repository for the Windows XP
systems.
nFor the destination profiles, specify the
remote profile repository that you configured
for the Horizon deployment.
For details, see the View User Profile Migration
document.
3 Allow your users to log in to their Windows 7,
Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2, or
Windows Server 2012 R2 Horizon desktops.
Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows
Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server
2012 R2 physical computers or
virtual machines.
The legacy systems cannot have
View Agent 5.x installed.
Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows
Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server
2012 R2 Horizon desktops
1 Configure Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows
Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 R2
Horizon desktops with Horizon Persona
Management for your users. See Configuring a
Horizon Persona Management Deployment.
2 Install the standalone Horizon Persona
Management software on the Windows 7,
Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2, or
Windows Server 2012 R2 systems. See Install
Standalone Horizon Persona Management.
3 Configure the legacy Windows 7, Windows 8,
Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server
2012 R2 systems to use the same remote profile
repository as the Horizon desktops. See
Configure a User Profile Repository.
The easiest approach is to use the same Horizon
Persona Management group policy settings in
Active Directory to control both the legacy
systems and the Horizon desktops. See Add the
Horizon Persona Management ADMX Template
File.
4 Roll out your Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows
Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 R2
Horizon desktops to your users.
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Horizon Persona Management and Windows Roaming
Profiles
When Horizon Persona Management is enabled, you cannot manage Horizon users' personas by using
the Windows roaming profiles functions.
For example, if you log in to a desktop's guest operating system, navigate to the Advanced tab in the
System Properties dialog box, and change the User Profiles settings from Roaming profile to Local
profile, Horizon Persona Management continues to synchronize the user's persona between the local
desktop and the remote persona repository.
However, you can specify files and folders within users' personas that are managed by Windows roaming
profiles functionality instead of Horizon Persona Management. You use the Windows Roaming Profiles
Synchronization policy to specify these files and folders.
Configuring a Horizon Persona Management Deployment
To configure Horizon Persona Management, you set up a remote repository that stores user profiles,
install Horizon Agent with the VMware Horizon 7 Persona Management setup option on virtual
machines that deliver remote desktop sessions, add and configure Horizon Persona Management group
policy settings, and deploy desktop pools.
You can also configure Horizon Persona Management for a non-Horizon deployment. You install the
standalone version of Horizon Persona Management on your users' non-Horizon laptops, desktops, or
virtual machines. You must also set up a remote repository and configure Horizon Persona Management
group policy settings.
Overview of Setting Up a Horizon Persona Management
Deployment
To set up a Horizon desktop deployment or standalone computers with Horizon Persona Management,
you must perform several high-level tasks.
This sequence is recommended, although you can perform these tasks in a different sequence. For
example, you can configure or reconfigure group policy settings in Active Directory after you deploy
desktop pools.
1 Configure a remote repository to store user profiles.
You can configure a network share or use an existing Active Directory user profile path that you
configured for Windows roaming profiles.
2 Install Horizon Agent with the VMware Horizon 7 Persona Management setup option on the virtual
machines that you use to create desktop pools.
To configure Horizon Persona Management for non-Horizon laptops, desktops, or virtual machines,
install the standalone Horizon Persona Management software on each computer in your targeted
deployment.
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3 Add the Horizon Persona Management ADMX Template file to your Active Directory server or the
Local Computer Policy configuration on the parent virtual machine.
To configure Horizon Persona Management for your whole Horizon or non-Horizon deployment, add
the ADMX Template file to Active Directory.
To configure Horizon Persona Management for one desktop pool, you can take these approaches:
nAdd the ADMX Template file to the virtual machine that you use to create the pool.
nAdd the ADMX Template file to Active Directory and apply the group policy settings to the OU that
contains the machines in the pool.
4 Enable Horizon Persona Management by enabling the Manage user persona group policy setting.
5 If you configured a network share for the remote profile repository, enable the Persona repository
location group policy setting and specify the network share path.
6 (Optional) Configure other group policy settings in Active Directory or the Local Computer Policy
configuration.
7 Create desktop pools from the virtual machines on which you installed Horizon Agent with the
VMware Horizon 7 Persona Management setup option.
Configure a User Profile Repository
You can configure a remote repository to store the user data and settings, application-specific data, and
other user-generated information in user profiles. If Windows roaming profiles are configured in your
deployment, you can use an existing Active Directory user profile path instead.
Note You can configure Horizon Persona Management without having to configure Windows roaming
profiles.
Prerequisites
nFamiliarize yourself with the minimum access permissions that are required to configure a shared
folder. See Setting Access Permissions on Shared Folders for Horizon Persona Management.
nFamiliarize yourself with the guidelines for creating a user profile repository. See Creating a Network
Share for Horizon Persona Management
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Procedure
1Determine whether to use an existing Active Directory user profile path or configure a user profile
repository on a network share.
Option Action
Use an existing Active Directory user
profile path
If you have an existing Windows roaming profiles configuration, you can use the
user profile path in Active Directory that supports roaming profiles. You can skip
the remaining steps in this procedure.
Configure a network share to store the
user profile repository
If you do not have an existing Windows roaming profiles configuration, you must
configure a network share for the user profile repository. Follow the remaining
steps in this procedure.
2Create a shared folder on a computer that your users can access from the guest operating systems
on their desktops.
If %username% is not part of the folder path that you configure, Horizon Persona Management
appends %username%.%userdomain% to the path.
For example: \\server.domain.com\VPRepository\%username%.%userdomain%
3Set access permissions for the shared folders that contain user profiles.
Caution Make sure that access permissions are configured correctly. The incorrect configuration of
access permissions on the shared folder is the most common cause of problems with Horizon
Persona Management.
Setting Access Permissions on Shared Folders for Horizon Persona
Management
Horizon Persona Management and Windows roaming profiles require a specific minimum level of
permissions on the user profile repository. Horizon Persona Management also requires that the security
group of the users who put data on the shared folder must have read attributes on the share.
Set the required access permissions on your user profile repository and redirected folder share.
Table 14‑2. Minimum NTFS Permissions Required for the User Profile Repository and
Redirected Folder Share
User Account Minimum Permissions Required
Creator Owner Full Control, Subfolders and Files Only
Administrator None. Instead, enable the Windows group policy setting, Add the Administrators security
group to the roaming user profiles. In the Group Policy Object Editor, this policy setting is
located in Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\User Profiles\.
Security group of users needing
to put data on share
List Folder/Read Data, Create Folders/Append Data, Read Attributes - This Folder Only
Everyone No permissions
Local System Full Control, This Folder, Subfolders and Files
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Table 14‑3. Share Level (SMB) Permissions Required for User Profile Repository and
Redirected Folder Share
User Account Default Permissions Minimum Permissions Required
Everyone Read only No permissions
Security group of users needing to put data on
share
N/A Full Control
For information about roaming user profiles security, see the Microsoft TechNet topic, Security
Recommendations for Roaming User Profiles Shared Folders.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc757013(WS.10).aspx
Creating a Network Share for Horizon Persona Management
You must follow certain guidelines when you create a shared folder to use as a profile repository.
nIf you use Windows 8 desktops and your network share uses a OneFS file system on an EMC Isilon
NAS device, the OneFS file system must be version 6.5.5.11 or later.
nYou can create the shared folder on a server, a network-attached storage (NAS) device, or a network
server.
nThe shared folder does not have to be in the same domain as Horizon Connection Server.
nThe shared folder must be in the same Active Directory forest as the users who store profiles in the
shared folder.
nYou must use a shared drive that is large enough to store the user profile information for your users.
To support a large Horizon deployment, you can configure separate repositories for different desktop
pools.
If users are entitled to more than one pool, the pools that share users must be configured with the
same profile repository. If you entitle a user to two pools with two different profile repositories, the
user cannot access the same version of the profile from desktops in each pool.
nYou must create the full profile path under which the user profile folders will be created. If part of the
path does not exist, Windows creates the missing folders when the first user logs in and assigns the
user's security restrictions to those folders. Windows assigns the same security restrictions to every
folder it creates under that path.
For example, for user1 you might configure the Horizon Persona Management
path \\server\VPRepository\profiles\user1. If you create the network
share \\server\VPRepository, and the profiles folder does not exist, Windows creates the
path \profiles\user1 when user1 logs in. Windows restricts access to the \profiles\user1
folders to the user1 account. If another user logs in with a profile path
in \\server\VPRepository\profiles, the second user cannot access the repository and the user's
profile fails to be replicated.
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Install Horizon Agent with the Horizon Persona Management
Option
To use Horizon Persona Management with Horizon desktops, you must install Horizon Agent with the
VMware Horizon 7 Persona Management setup option on the virtual machines that you use to create
desktop pools.
For an automated pool, you install Horizon Agent with the VMware Horizon 7 Persona Management
setup option on the virtual machine that you use as a parent or template. When you create a desktop pool
from the virtual machine, the Horizon Persona Management software is deployed on your Horizon
desktops.
For a manual pool, you must install Horizon Agent with the VMware Horizon 7 Persona Management
setup option on each virtual machine that is used as a desktop in the pool. Use Active Directory to
configure Horizon Persona Management group policies for a manual pool. The alternative is to add the
ADMX template file and configure group policies on each individual machine.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are performing the installation on a Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows
Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 R2 virtual machine. Horizon Persona Management does
not operate on Microsoft RDS hosts.
Installing Horizon Agent with the VMware Horizon 7 Persona Management setup option does not
work on physical computers. You can install the standalone Horizon Persona Management software
on physical computers. See Install Standalone Horizon Persona Management.
nVerify that you can log in as an administrator on the virtual machine.
nVerify that a native RTO Virtual Profiles 2.0 is not installed on the virtual machine. If a native RTO
Virtual Profile 2.0 is present, uninstall it before you install Horizon Agent with the VMware Horizon 7
Persona Management setup option.
nFamiliarize yourself with installing Horizon Agent. See Install Horizon Agent on a Virtual Machine or
Install Horizon Agent on an Unmanaged Machine.
Procedure
uWhen you install Horizon Agent on a virtual machine, select the VMware Horizon 7 Persona
Management setup option.
What to do next
Add the Horizon Persona Management ADMX template file to your Active Directory server or the Local
Computer Policy configuration on the virtual machine itself.
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Install Standalone Horizon Persona Management
To use Horizon Persona Management with non-Horizon physical computers or virtual machines, install
the standalone version of Horizon Persona Management. You can run an interactive installation or a silent
installation at the command line.
Install the standalone Horizon Persona Management software on each individual computer or virtual
machine in your targeted deployment.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are performing the installation on a Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows
Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 R2 physical computer or virtual machine. Horizon Persona
Management does not operate on Windows Servers or Microsoft RDS hosts. Verify that the system
satisfies the requirements described in "Supported Operating Systems for Standalone Horizon
Persona Management" in the View Installation document.
nVerify that you can log in as an administrator on the system.
nVerify that View Agent 5.x or later is not installed on the computer.
nVerify that a native RTO Virtual Profiles 2.0 is not installed on the virtual machine.
nIf you intend to perform a silent installation, familiarize yourself with the MSI installer command-line
options. See Microsoft Windows Installer Command-Line Options.
Procedure
1Download the standalone Horizon Persona Management installer file from the VMware product page
at http://www.vmware.com/products/.
The installer filename is VMware-personamanagement-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe or VMware-
personamanagement-x86_64-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe, where y.y.y is the version number and xxxxxx is
the build number.
2Run the installation program interactively or perform a silent installation.
Option Description
Interactive installation a To start the installation program, double-click the installer file.
b Accept the VMware license terms.
c Click Install.
By default, Horizon Persona Management is installed in the C:\Program
Files\VMware\VMware View Persona Management directory.
d Click Finish.
Silent installation Open a Windows command prompt on the machine and type the installation
command on one line.
For example: VMware-personamanagement-y.y.y-
xxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn /l*v ""c:\persona.log"" ALLUSERS=1"
Important You must include the ALLUSERS=1 property in the command line.
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3Restart your system to allow the installation changes to take effect.
What to do next
Add the Horizon Persona Management ADMX template file to your Active Directory or local group policy
configuration.
Add the Horizon Persona Management ADMX Template File
The Horizon Persona Management ADMX template file contains group policy settings that allow you to
configure Horizon Persona Management. Before you can configure the policies, you must add the ADMX
template file to the local system or Active Directory server.
To configure Horizon Persona Management on a single system, you can add the group policy settings to
the Local Computer Policy configuration on that local system.
To configure Horizon Persona Management for a desktop pool, you can add the group policy settings to
the Local Computer Policy configuration on the virtual machine that you use as a parent or template for
deploying the desktop pool.
To configure Horizon Persona Management at the domain-wide level and apply the configuration to many
Horizon 7 machines or your whole deployment, you can add the group policy settings to Group Policy
Objects (GPOs) on your Active Directory server. In Active Directory, you can create an OU for the
Horizon 7 machines that use Horizon Persona Management, create one or more GPOs, and link the
GPOs to the OU. To configure separate Horizon Persona Management policies for different types of
users, you can create OUs for particular sets of Horizon 7 machines and apply different GPOs to the
OUs.
For example, you might create one OU for Horizon 7 machines with Horizon Persona Management and
another OU for physical computers on which the standalone Horizon Persona Management software is
installed.
For an example of implementing Active Directory group policies in Horizon, see "Active Directory Group
Policy Example" in the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.
Add the Horizon Persona Management ADMX Template File to Active
Directory or a Single System
You can add the Horizon Persona Management ADMX template file to your Active Directory server or to a
single system.
Prerequisites
nVerify that Horizon Agent is installed with the Horizon Persona Management setup option. See Install
Horizon Agent with the Horizon Persona Management Option.
nVerify that gpedit.msc or the appropriate group policy editor is available.
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Procedure
1Download the Horizon 7 GPO Bundle .zip file from the VMware download site at
https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/downloads.
Under Desktop & End-User Computing, select the VMware Horizon 7 download, which includes the
GPO Bundle.
The file is named VMware-Horizon-Extras-Bundle-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.zip, where x.x.x is the
version and yyyyyyy is the build number. All ADMX files that provide group policy settings for
Horizon 7 are available in this file.
2Unzip the VMware-Horizon-Extras-Bundle-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.zip file and copy the Horizon
Persona Management ADMX files to your Active Directory server or to the individual Persona host
(single system).
a Copy the ViewPM.admx file to the C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\ directory.
b Copy the language resource files ViewPM.adml to the appropriate subfolder in
C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\ on your Active Directory server or the individual Persona
host.
For example, copy the ViewPM.adml file to the C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\en-US\
directory for the EN locale.
3On your Active Directory host, open the Group Policy Management Editor or, on an individual
Persona host, open the Local Group Policy Editor with the gpedit.msc utility.
The Horizon Persona Management group policy settings are installed in Computer Configuration >
Policies > Administrative Templates > Persona Management.
What to do next
(Optional) Configure the Horizon Persona Management group policy settings. See Configure Horizon
Persona Management Policies.
Configure Horizon Persona Management Policies
To use Horizon Persona Management, you must enable the Manage user persona group policy setting,
which activates the Horizon Persona Management software. To set up a user profile repository without
using an Active Directory user profile path, you must configure the Persona repository location group
policy setting.
You can configure the optional group policy settings to configure other aspects of your Horizon Persona
Management deployment.
If Windows roaming profiles are already configured in your deployment, you can use an existing Active
Directory user profile path. You can leave the Persona repository location setting disabled or not
configured.
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Prerequisites
nFamiliarize yourself with the Manage user persona and Persona repository location group policy
settings. See Roaming and Synchronization Group Policy Settings.
nIf you are setting group policies on a local system, familiarize yourself with opening the Group Policy
window.
nIf you are setting group policies on your Active Directory server, familiarize yourself with starting the
Group Policy Object Editor.
Procedure
1Open the Group Policy window.
Option Description
Local system Open the Local Computer Policy window.
Active Directory server Open the Group Policy Object Editor window.
2Expand the Computer Configuration folder and navigate to the Persona Management folder.
Option Description
Windows 7 and later or Windows
Server 2008 and later
Expand the following folders: Administrative Templates, VMware View Agent
Configuration, Persona Management
Windows Server 2003 Expand the following folders: Administrative Templates, VMware View Agent
Configuration, Persona Management
3Open the Roaming & Synchronization folder.
4Double-click Manage user persona and click Enabled.
This setting activates Horizon Persona Management. When this setting is disabled or not configured,
Horizon Persona Management does not function.
5Type the profile upload interval, in minutes, and click OK.
The profile upload interval determines how often Horizon Persona Management copies user profile
changes to the remote repository. The default upload interval is 10 minutes.
6Double-click Persona repository location and click Enabled.
If you have an existing Windows roaming profiles deployment, you can use an Active Directory user
profile path for the remote profile repository. You do not have to configure a Persona repository
location.
7Type the UNC path to a network file server share that stores the user profiles.
For example: \\server.domain.com\UserProfilesRepository\%username%
The network share must be accessible to the virtual machines in your deployment.
If you intend to use an Active Directory user profile path, you do not have to specify a UNC path.
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8If an Active Directory user profile path is configured in your deployment, determine whether to use or
override this path.
Option Action
Use the network share. Check the Override Active Directory user profile path if it is configured check
box.
Use an Active Directory user profile
path, if one exists.
Do not check the Override Active Directory user profile path if it is
configured check box.
9Click OK.
10 (Optional) Configure other Horizon Persona Management group policy settings.
Create Desktop Pools That Use Horizon Persona Management
To use Horizon Persona Management with Horizon 7 desktops, you must create desktop pools with a
Horizon Persona Management agent installed on each machine.
You cannot use Horizon Persona Management on RDS desktop pools, which run on Remote Desktop
Services (RDS) hosts.
Prerequisites
nVerify that Horizon Agent with the VMware Horizon 7 Persona Management setup option is installed
on the virtual machine that you use to create the desktop pool. See Install Horizon Agent with the
Horizon Persona Management Option.
nIf you intend to configure Horizon Persona Management policies for this desktop pool only, verify that
you added the Horizon Persona Management ADMX template file to the virtual machine and
configured group policy settings in the Local Computer Policy configuration.
Procedure
nGenerate a snapshot or template from the virtual machine and create an automated desktop pool.
You can configure Horizon Persona Management with pools that contain full virtual machines or
linked clones. The pools can use dedicated or floating assignments.
n(Optional) To use Horizon Persona Management with manual desktop pools, select machines on
which Horizon Agent with the VMware Horizon 7 Persona Management option is installed.
Note After you deploy Horizon Persona Management on your Horizon desktop pools, if you remove the
VMware Horizon 7 Persona Management setup option on the Horizon machines, or uninstall
Horizon Agent altogether, the local user profiles are removed from the machines of users who are not
currently logged in. For users who are currently logged in, the user profiles are downloaded from the
remote profile repository during the uninstall process.
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Best Practices for Configuring a Horizon Persona
Management Deployment
You should follow best practices for configuring Horizon Persona Management to enhance your users'
desktop experience, improve desktop performance, and ensure that Horizon Persona Management
operates efficiently with other Horizon 7 features.
Determining Whether to Remove Local User Profiles at Logo
By default, Horizon Persona Management does not delete user profiles from the local machines when
users log off. The Remove local persona at log off policy is disabled. In many cases, the default setting
is a best practice because it reduces I/O operations and avoids redundant behavior.
For example, keep this policy disabled if you deploy floating-assignment pools and either refresh or delete
the machines on logoff. The local profile is deleted when the virtual machine is refreshed or deleted. In a
floating-assignment, automated pool, full virtual machines can be deleted after logoff. In a floating-
assignment, linked-clone pool, the clones can be refreshed or deleted on logoff.
If you deploy dedicated-assignment pools, you can keep the policy disabled because users return to the
same machines at each session. With the policy disabled, when a user logs in, Horizon Persona
Management does not have to download files that are present in the local profile. If you configure
dedicated-assignment, linked-clone pools with persistent disks, keep the policy disabled to avoid deleting
user data from the persistent disks.
In some cases, you might want to enable the Remove local persona at log off policy.
Handling Deployments That Include Horizon Persona Management
and Windows Roaming Profiles
In deployments in which Windows roaming profiles are configured, and users access Horizon desktops
with Horizon Persona Management and standard desktops with Windows roaming profiles, the best
practice is to use different profiles for the two desktop environments. If a Horizon desktop and the client
computer from which the desktop is launched are in the same domain, and you use an Active Directory
GPO to configure both Windows roaming profiles and Horizon Persona Management, enable the
Persona repository location policy and select Override Active Directory user profile path if it is
configured.
This approach prevents Windows roaming profiles from overwriting a Horizon Persona Management
profile when the user logs off from the client computer.
If users intend to share data between existing Windows roaming profiles and Horizon Persona
Management profiles, you can configure Windows folder redirection.
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Configuring Paths for Redirected Folders
When you use the Folder Redirection group policy setting, configure the folder path to include
%username%, but make sure that the last subfolder in the path uses the name of the redirected folder,
such as My Videos. The last folder in the path is displayed as the folder name on the user's desktop.
For example, if you configure a path such as \\myserver\videos\%username%\My Videos, the folder
name that appears on the user's desktop is My Videos.
If %username% is the last subfolder in the path, the user's name appears as the folder name. For example,
instead of seeing a My Videos folder on the desktop, the user JDoe sees a folder named JDoe and
cannot easily identify the folder.
Using the Windows Event Log to Monitor the Horizon Persona
Management Deployment
To help you manage your deployment, Horizon Persona Management provides improved log messages
and profile size and file and folder count tracking. Horizon Persona Management uses the file and folder
counts to suggest folders for redirection in the Windows event log and provides statistics for these folders.
For example, when a user logs in, the Windows event log might display the following suggestions to
redirect folders:
Profile path: \\server.domain.com\persona\user1V2
...
Folders to redirect:
\\server.domain.com\persona\user1V2 Reason: Folder size larger than 1GB
\\server.domain.com\persona\user1V2\Documents Reason: More than 10000 files and folders
Additional Best Practices
You can also follow these recommendations:
nBy default, many antivirus products do not scan offline files. For example, when a user logs in to a
desktop, these anti-virus products do not scan user profile files that are not specified in the Files and
folders to preload or Windows roaming profiles synchronization group policy setting. For many
deployments, the default behavior is the best practice because it reduces the I/O required to
download files during on-demand scans.
If you do want to retrieve files from the remote repository and enable scanning of offline files, see the
documentation for your antivirus product.
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nIt is highly recommended that you use standard practices to back up network shares on which
Horizon Persona Management stores the profile repository.
Note Do not use backup software such as MozyPro or Windows Volume backup services with
Horizon Persona Management to back up user profiles on Horizon desktops.
Horizon Persona Management ensures that user profiles are backed up to the remote profile
repository, eliminating the need for additional tools to back up user data on the desktops. In certain
cases, tools such as MozyPro or Windows Volume backup services can interfere with Horizon
Persona Management and cause data loss or corruption.
nYou can set Horizon Persona Management policies to enhance performance when users start
ThinApp applications. See Configuring User Profiles to Include ThinApp Sandbox Folders.
nIf your users generate substantial persona data, and you plan to use refresh and recompose to
manage dedicated-assignment, linked-clone desktops, configure your desktop pool to use separate
View Composer persistent disks. Persistent disks can enhance the performance of Horizon Persona
Management. See Configuring View Composer Persistent Disks with Horizon Persona Management.
nIf you configure Horizon Persona Management for standalone laptops, make sure that the profiles are
kept synchronized when users go offline. See Manage User Profiles on Standalone Laptops.
nDo not use Windows Client-Side Caching with Horizon Persona Management. The Windows Client-
Side Caching system is a mechanism that supports the Windows Offline Files feature. If this system is
in effect on the local system, Horizon Persona Management features such as folder redirection, offline
file population during logon, background download, and replication of local profile files to the remote
profile repository do not work properly.
As a best practice, disable the Windows Offline Files feature before you begin using Horizon Persona
Management. If you encounter issues with Horizon Persona Management because Windows Client-
Side Caching is in effect on your desktops, you can resolve these issues by synchronizing the profile
data that currently resides in the local Client-Side Caching database and disabling the Windows
Offline Files feature. For instructions, see KB 2016416: View Persona Management features do not
function when Windows Client-Side Caching is in effect.
Configuring User Profiles to Include ThinApp Sandbox Folders
Horizon Persona Management maintains user settings that are associated with ThinApp applications by
including ThinApp sandbox folders in user profiles. You can set Horizon Persona Management policies to
enhance performance when users start ThinApp applications.
Horizon Persona Management preloads ThinApp sandbox folders and files in the local user profile when
a user logs in. The ThinApp sandbox folders are created before a user can complete the log on. To
enhance performance, Horizon Persona Management does not download the ThinApp sandbox data
during the login, although files are created on the local desktop with the same basic attributes and sizes
as the ThinApp sandbox files in the user's remote profile.
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As a best practice, download the actual ThinApp sandbox data in the background. Enable the Folders to
background download group policy setting and add the ThinApp sandbox folders. See Roaming and
Synchronization Group Policy Settings.
The actual ThinApp sandbox files can be large. With the Folders to background download setting,
users do not have to wait for large files to download when they start an application. Also, users do not
have to wait for the files to preload when they log in, as they might if you use the Files and folders to
preload setting with large files.
Configuring View Composer Persistent Disks with Horizon
Persona Management
With View Composer persistent disks, you can preserve user data and settings while you manage linked-
clone OS disks with refresh, recompose, and rebalance operations. Configuring persistent disks can
enhance the performance of Horizon Persona Management when users generate a large amount of
persona information. You can configure persistent disks only with dedicated-assignment, linked-clone
desktops.
Horizon Persona Management maintains each user profile on a remote repository that is configured on a
network share. After a user logs into a desktop, the persona files are dynamically downloaded as the user
needs them.
If you configure persistent disks with Horizon Persona Management, you can refresh and recompose the
linked-clone OS disks and keep a local copy of the each user profile on the persistent disks.
The persistent disks can act as a cache for the user profiles. When a user requires persona files, Horizon
Persona Management does not need to download data that is the same on the local persistent disk and
the remote repository. Only unsynchronized persona data needs to be downloaded.
If you configure persistent disks, do not enable the Remove local persona at log off policy. Enabling this
policy deletes the user data from the persistent disks when users log off.
Manage User Profiles on Standalone Laptops
If you install Horizon Persona Management on standalone (non-Horizon) laptops, make sure that the user
profiles are kept synchronized when users take their standalone laptops offline.
To ensure that a standalone laptop user has an up-to-date local profile, you can configure the Horizon
Persona Management group policy setting, Enable background download for laptops. This setting
downloads the entire user profile to the standalone laptop in the background.
As a best practice, notify your users to make sure that their user profiles are completely downloaded
before they disconnect from the network. Tell users to wait for the Background download complete
notice to appear on their laptop screens before they disconnect.
To allow the Background download complete notice to be displayed on user laptops, configure the
Horizon Persona Management group policy setting, Show critical errors to users via tray
icon alerts.
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If a user disconnects from the network before the profile download is complete, the local profile and
remote profile might become unsynchronized. While the user is offline, the user might update a local file
that was not fully downloaded. When the user reconnects to the network, the local profile is uploaded,
overwriting the remote profile. Data that was in the original remote profile might be lost.
The following steps provide an example you might follow.
Prerequisites
Verify that Horizon Persona Management is configured for your users' standalone laptops. See
Configuring a Horizon Persona Management Deployment.
Procedure
1In the Active Directory OU that controls your standalone laptops, enable the Enable background
download for laptops setting.
In the Group Policy Object Editor, expand the following folders: Computer Configuration,
Administrative Templates (ADMX), VMware View Agent Configuration, Persona Management,
Roaming & Synchronization.
2For standalone laptops, you must use a non-Horizon method to notify users when they log in.
For example, you might distribute this message:
Your personal data is dynamically downloaded to your laptop after you log in.
Make sure your personal data has finished downloading before you disconnect your
laptop from the network. A "Background download complete" notice pops up when
your personal data finishes downloading.
Horizon Persona Management Group Policy Settings
The Horizon Persona Management ADMX template file contains group policy settings that you add to the
Group Policy configuration on individual systems or on an Active Directory server. You must configure the
group policy settings to set up and control various aspects of Horizon Persona Management.
The ADMX template file is named ViewPM.admx.
The ADMX files are available in a bundled .zip file named VMware-Horizon-Extras-Bundle-x.x.x-
yyyyyyy.zip, which you can download from the VMware download site at
https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/downloads. Under Desktop & End-User Computing, select the
VMware Horizon 7 download, which includes the bundled .zip file.
After you add the ViewPM.admx file to your Group Policy configuration, the policy settings are located in
the Persona Management folder in the Group Policy window.
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Table 14‑4. Location of Horizon Persona Management Settings in the Group Policy Window
Operating System Location
Windows 7 and later or Windows Server 2008
and later
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Classic
Administrative Templates > VMware View Agent Configuration > Persona
Management
Windows Server 2003 Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > VMware View Agent
Configuration > Persona Management
The group policy settings are contained in these folders:
nRoaming & Synchronization
nFolder Redirection
nDesktop UI
nLogging
nTroubleshooting
Roaming and Synchronization Group Policy Settings
The roaming and synchronization group policy settings turn Horizon Persona Management on and off, set
the location of the remote profile repository, determine which folders and files belong to the user profile,
and control how to synchronize folders and files.
All these settings are in the Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates >
VMware View Agent Configuration > Persona Management > Roaming & Synchronization folder in
the Group Policy Management Editor.
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Group Policy
Setting Description
Manage user
persona
Determines whether to manage user profiles dynamically with Horizon Persona Management or with Windows
roaming profiles. This setting turns Horizon Persona Management on and off.
When this setting is enabled, Horizon Persona Management manages user profiles.
When the setting is enabled, you can specify a profile upload interval in minutes. This value determines how
often changes in the user profile are copied to the remote repository. The default value is 10 minutes.
When this setting is disabled or not configured, user profiles are managed by Windows.
Persona repository
location
Specifies the location of the user profile repository. This setting also determines whether to use a network
share that is specified in Horizon Persona Management or a path that is configured in Active Directory to
support Windows roaming profiles.
When this setting is enabled, you can use the Share path to determine the location of the user profile
repository.
In the Share path text box, you specify a UNC path to a network share that is accessible to Horizon Persona
Management desktops. This setting lets Horizon Persona Management control the location of the user profile
repository.
For example: \\server.domain.com\VPRepository
If %username% is not part of the folder path that you configure, Horizon Persona Management appends
%username%.%userdomain% to the path.
For example: \\server.domain.com\VPRepository\%username%.%userdomain%
If you specify a location in the Share path, you do not have to set up roaming profiles in Windows or configure
a user profile path in Active Directory to support Windows roaming profiles.
For details about configuring a UNC network share for Horizon Persona Management, see Configure a User
Profile Repository.
By default, the Active Directory user profile path is used.
Specifically, when the Share path is left blank, the Active Directory user profile path is used. The Share path
is blank and inactive when this setting is disabled or not configured. You can also leave the path blank when
this setting is enabled.
When this setting is enabled, you can select the Override Active Directory user profile path if it is
configured check box to make sure that Horizon Persona Management uses the path specified in the Share
path. By default, this check box is unchecked, and Horizon Persona Management uses the Active Directory
user profile path when both locations are configured.
Remove local
persona at log off
Deletes each user's locally stored profile from the Horizon machine when the user logs off.
You can also check a box to delete each user's local settings folders when the user profile is removed.
Checking this box removes the AppData\Local folder.
For guidelines for using this setting, see Best Practices for Configuring a Horizon Persona Management
Deployment.
When this setting is disabled or not configured, the locally stored user profiles, including local settings folders,
are not deleted when users log off.
Roam local
settings folders
Roams the local settings folders with the rest of each user profile.
This policy affects the AppData\Local folder.
By default, local settings are not roamed.
You must enable this setting if you use Microsoft OneDrive.
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Group Policy
Setting Description
Files and folders to
preload
Specifies a list of files and folders that are downloaded to the local user profile when the user logs in. Changes
in the files are copied to the remote repository as they occur.
In some situations, you might want to preload specific files and folders into the locally stored user profile. Use
this setting to specify these files and folders.
Specify paths that are relative to the root of the local profile. Do not specify a drive in a pathname.
For example: Application Data\Microsoft\Certificates
After the specified files and folders are preloaded, Horizon Persona Management manages the files and
folders in the same way that it manages other profile data. When a user updates preloaded files or folders,
Horizon Persona Management copies the updated data to the remote profile repository during the session, at
the next profile upload interval.
Files and folders to
preload
(exceptions)
Prevents the specified files and folders from being preloaded.
The selected folder paths must reside within the folders that you specify in the Files and folders to preload
setting.
Specify paths that are relative to the root of the local profile. Do not specify a drive in a pathname.
Windows roaming
profiles
synchronization
Specifies a list of files and folders that are managed by standard Windows roaming profiles. The files and
folders are retrieved from the remote repository when the user logs in. The files are not copied to the remote
repository until the user logs off.
For the specified files and folders, Horizon Persona Management ignores the profile replication interval that is
configured by the Profile upload interval in the Manage user persona setting.
Specify paths that are relative to the root of the local profile. Do not specify a drive in a pathname.
Windows roaming
profiles
synchronization
(exceptions)
The selected files and folders are exceptions to the paths that are specified in the Windows roaming profiles
synchronization setting.
The selected folder paths must reside within the folders that you specify in the Windows roaming profiles
synchronization setting.
Specify paths that are relative to the root of the local profile. Do not specify a drive in a pathname.
Files and folders
excluded from
roaming
Specifies a list of files and folders that are not roamed with the rest of the user profile. The specified files and
folders exist only on the local system.
Some situations require specific files and folders to reside only in the locally stored user profile. For example,
you can exclude temporary and cached files from roaming. These files do not need to be replicated to the
remote repository.
Specify paths that are relative to the root of the local profile. Do not specify a drive in a pathname.
By default, the user profile's temp folder, ThinApp cache folder, and cache folders for Internet Explorer,
Firefox, Chrome, and Opera are excluded from roaming.
Files and folders
excluded from
roaming
(exceptions)
The selected files and folders are exceptions to the paths that are specified in the Files and folders excluded
from roaming setting.
The selected folder paths must reside within the folders that you specify in the Files and folders excluded
from roaming setting.
Specify paths that are relative to the root of the local profile. Do not specify a drive in a pathname.
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Group Policy
Setting Description
Enable
background
download for
laptops
Downloads all files in the user profile when a user logs in to a laptop on which the Horizon Persona
Management software is installed. Files are downloaded in the background.
When the operation is complete, a pop-up notification appears on the user's screen: Background download
complete. To allow this notification to appear on the user's laptop, you must enable the Show critical
errors to users via tray icon alerts setting.
Note If you enable this setting, as a best practice, notify your users to make sure that the profile is
completely downloaded before the users disconnect from the network.
If a user takes a standalone laptop offline before the profile download is complete, the user might not have
access to local profile files. While the user is offline, the user will be unable to open a local file that was not
fully downloaded.
See Manage User Profiles on Standalone Laptops.
Folders to
background
download
The selected folders are downloaded in the background after a user logs in to the desktop.
In certain cases, you can optimize Horizon Persona Management by downloading the contents of specific
folders in the background. With this setting, users do not have to wait for large files to download when they
start an application. Also, users do not have to wait for the files to preload when they log in, as they might if
you use the Files and folders to preload setting with very large files.
For example, you can include VMware ThinApp sandbox folders in the Folders to background download
setting. The background download does not affect performance when a user logs in or uses other applications
on the desktop. When the user starts the ThinApp application, the required ThinApp sandbox files are likely to
be downloaded from the remote repository, improving the application startup time.
Specify paths that are relative to the root of the local profile. Do not specify a drive in a pathname.
Folders to
background
download
(exceptions)
The selected folders are exceptions to the paths that are specified in the Folders to background download
setting.
The selected folder paths must reside within the folders that you specify in the Folders to background
download setting.
Specify paths that are relative to the root of the local profile. Do not specify a drive in a pathname.
Excluded
processes
The I/O of the specified processes are ignored by Horizon Persona Management.
You might have to add certain anti-virus applications to the Excluded processes list to prevent performance
problems. If an anti-virus application does not have a feature to disable offline file retrieval during its on-
demand scans, the Excluded processes setting prevents the application from retrieving files unnecessarily.
However, Horizon Persona Management does replicate changes to files and settings in the users' profiles that
are made by excluded processes.
To add processes to the Excluded processes list, enable this setting, click Show, type the process name,
and click OK. For example: process.exe.
Cleanup CLFS
files
Deletes the files that are generated by Common Log File System (CLFS) for ntuser.dat and usrclass.dat
from the roaming profile on logon.
Enable this setting only if you have to repair user profiles that are experiencing a problem with these files.
Otherwise, leave the setting disabled or not configured.
Folder Redirection Group Policy Settings
With folder redirection group policy settings, you can redirect user profile folders to a network share.
When a folder is redirected, all data is stored directly on the network share during the user session.
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All these settings are in the Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates >
VMware View Agent Configuration > Persona Management > Folder Redirection folder in the Group
Policy Management Editor.
You can use these settings to redirect folders that must be highly available. Horizon Persona
Management copies updates from the local user profile to the remote profile as often as once a minute,
depending on the value you set for the profile upload interval. However, if a network outage or failure on
the local system occurs, a user's updates since the last replication might not be saved in the remote
profile. In situations where users cannot afford a temporary loss of a few minutes of recent work, you can
redirect those folders that store this critical data.
The following rules and guidelines apply to folder redirection:
nWhen you enable this setting for a folder, you must type the UNC path of the network share to which
the folder is redirected.
nIf %username% is not part of the folder path that you configure, Horizon Persona Management
appends %username% to the UNC path.
nAs a best practice, configure the folder path to include %username%, but make sure that the last
subfolder in the path uses the name of the redirected folder, such as My Videos. The last folder in
the path is displayed as the folder name on the user's desktop. For details, see Configuring Paths for
Redirected Folders.
nYou configure a separate setting for each folder. You can select particular folders for redirection and
leave others on the local Horizon desktop. You can also redirect different folders to different UNC
paths.
nIf a folder redirection setting is disabled or not configured, the folder is stored on the local Horizon
desktop and managed according to the Horizon Persona Management group policy settings.
nIf Horizon Persona Management and Windows roaming profiles are configured to redirect the same
folder, Horizon Persona Management's folder redirection takes precedence over Windows roaming
profiles.
nFolder redirection applies only to applications that use the Windows shell APIs to redirect common
folder paths. For example, if an application writes a file to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming, the
file is written to the local profile and not redirected to the network location.
nBy default, Windows folder redirection gives users exclusive rights to redirected folders. To grant
domain administrators access to newly redirected folders, you can use a Horizon Persona
Management group policy setting.
Windows folder redirection has a check box called Grant user exclusive rights to folder-name,
which gives the specified user exclusive rights to the redirected folder. As a security measure, this
check box is selected by default. When this check box is selected, administrators do not have access
to the redirected folder. If an administrator attempts to force change the access rights for a user's
redirected folder, Horizon Persona Management no longer works for that user.
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You can make newly redirected folders accessible to domain administrators by using the Add the
administrators group to redirected folders group policy setting. This setting lets you grant the
domain administrators group full control over each redirected folder. See Table 14‑5.
For existing redirected folders, see Granting Domain Administrators Access to Existing Redirected
Folders.
You can specify folder paths that are excluded from folder redirection. See Table 14‑5.
Caution Horizon 7 does not support enabling folder redirection to a folder that is already in a profile
managed by Horizon Persona Management. This configuration can cause failures in Horizon Persona
Management and loss of user data.
For example, if the root folder in the remote profile repository is \\Server\%username%\, and you
redirect folders to \\Server\%username%\Desktop, these settings would cause a failure of folder
redirection in Horizon Persona Management and the loss of any contents that were previously in
the \\Server\%username%\Desktop folder.
You can redirect the following folders to a network share:
nApplication Data (roaming)
nContacts
nCookies
nDesktop
nDownloads
nFavorites
nHistory
nLinks
nMy Documents
nMy Music
nMy Pictures
nMy Videos
nNetwork Neighborhood
nPrinter Neighborhood
nRecent Items
nSave Games
nSend To
nSearches
nStart Menu
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nStartup Items
nTemplates
nTemporary Internet Files
Table 14‑5. Group Policy Settings That Control Folder Redirection
Group Policy Setting Description
Add the administrators
group to redirected folders
Determines whether to add the administrators group to each redirected folder. Users have exclusive
rights to redirected folders by default. When you enable this setting, administrators can also access
redirected folders.
By default, this setting is not configured.
Files and Folders excluded
from Folder Redirection
The selected file and folder paths are not redirected to a network share.
In some scenarios, specific files and folders must remain in the local user profile.
To add a folder path to the Files and Folders excluded from Folder Redirection list, enable this
setting, click Show, type the path name, and click OK.
Specify folder paths that are relative to the root of the user's local profile. For example:
Desktop\New Folder.
Files and folders excluded
from Folder Redirection
(exceptions)
The selected file and folder paths are exceptions to the paths that are specified in the Files and
Folders excluded from Folder Redirection setting.
To add a folder path to the Files and folders excluded from Folder Redirection (exceptions) list,
enable this setting, click Show, type the path name, and click OK.
Specify folder paths that reside within a folder that is specified in the Folders excluded from Folder
Redirection setting and are relative to the root of the user's local profile. For example:
Desktop\New Folder\Unique Folder.
Granting Domain Administrators Access to Existing Redirected Folders
By default, Windows folder redirection gives users exclusive rights to redirected folders. To grant domain
administrators access to existing redirected folders, you must use the icacls utility.
If you are setting up new redirected folders for use with View Persona Management, you can make the
newly redirected folders accessible to domain administrators by using the Add the administrators group
to redirected folders group policy setting. See Table 14‑5.
Procedure
1Set ownership for the administrator on the files and folders.
icacls "\\file-server\persona-share\*" /setowner "domain\admin" /T /C /L /Q
For example: icacls "\\myserver-123abc\folders\*" /setowner
"mycompanydomain\vcadmin" /T /C /L /Q
2Modify the ACLs for the files and folders.
icacls "\\file-server\persona-share\*" /grant "admin-group":F /T /C /L /Q
For example: icacls "\\myserver-123abc\folders\*" /grant "Domain-
Admins":F /T /C /L /Q
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3For each user folder, revert ownership from the administrator to the corresponding user.
icacls "\\file-server\persona-share\*" /setowner "domain\folder-
owner" /T /C /L /Q
For example: icacls "\\myserver-123abc\folders\*" /setowner
"mycompanydomain\user1" /T /C /L /Q
Desktop UI Group Policy Settings
The desktop UI group policy settings control Horizon Persona Management settings that users see on
their desktops.
All these settings are in the Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates >
VMware View Agent Configuration > Persona Management > Desktop UI folder in the Group Policy
Management Editor.
Group Policy Setting Description
Hide local offline file
icon
Determines whether to hide the offline icon when a user views locally stored files that belong to the user
profile. Enabling this setting hides the offline icon in Windows Explorer and most Windows dialog boxes.
By default, the offline icon is hidden.
Show progress when
downloading large files
Determines whether to display a progress window on a user's desktop when the client retrieves large
files from the remote repository.
When this setting is enabled, you can specify the minimum file size, in megabytes, to begin displaying
the progress window. The window is displayed when Horizon Persona Management determines that the
specified amount of data will be retrieved from the remote repository. This value is an aggregate of all
files that are retrieved at one time.
For example, if the setting value is 50MB and a 40MB file is retrieved, the window is not displayed. If a
30MB file is retrieved while the first file is still being downloaded, the aggregate download exceeds the
value and the progress window is displayed. The window appears when a file starts downloading.
By default, this value is 50MB.
By default, this progress window is not displayed.
Show critical errors to
users via tray icon
alerts
Displays critical error icon alerts in the desktop tray when replication or network connectivity failures
occur.
By default, these icon alerts are hidden.
Logging Group Policy Settings
The logging group policy settings determine the name, location, and behavior of the Horizon Persona
Management log files.
The following table describes each logging group policy setting.
All these settings are in the Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates >
VMware View Agent Configuration > Persona Management > Logging folder in the Group Policy
Management Editor.
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Group Policy
Setting Description
Logging filename Specifies the full pathname of the local Horizon Persona Management log file.
The default path is ProgramData\VMware\VDM\logs\filename.
The default logging filename is VMWVvp.txt.
Logging
destination
Determines whether to write all log messages to the log file, the debug port, or both destinations.
By default, logging messages are sent to the log file.
Logging flags Specifies the type of log messages that are generated.
nLog information messages.
nLog debug messages.
When this setting is disabled or not configured, and by default when the setting is configured, log messages
are set to information level.
Log history
depth
Determines the number of historical log files that Horizon Persona Management maintains.
You can set a minimum of one and a maximum of 10 historical log files to be maintained.
By default, one historical log file is maintained.
Upload log to
network
Uploads the Horizon Persona Management log file to the specified network share when the user logs off.
When this setting is enabled, specify the network share path. The network share path must be a UNC path.
Horizon Persona Management does not create the network share.
By default, the log file is not uploaded to the network share.
Log File Size When enabled Persona maintains the size of log filles.
Default is 100MB, minimum is 10MB, and maximum is 1024MB.
If disabled or not configured, 100MB is used as default.
Debug flags Specifies the type of debug messages that are generated.
Debug messages are handled the same as log messages.
By default, debug messages are turned off.
Logging flags Specifies the type of log messages that are generated.
By default, log messages are set to information level.
Troubleshooting Group Policy Settings
The troubleshooting group policy settings diagnose problems with Horizon Persona Management log
files.
The following table describes each troubleshooting group policy setting.
All these settings are in the Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates >
VMware View Agent Configuration > Persona Management > Troubleshooting folder in the Group
Policy Management Editor.
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Table 14‑6. Troubleshooting Group Policy Settings
Group Policy Setting Description
Create retry delay Indicates the delay (in milliseconds) between a file creation
failure and retrying to create the file again. .
By default, the delay is 500 milliseconds.
Disable create file retry When enabled, a retry attempt is not made after a file creation
failure.
By default, a retry attempt is made.
Disable desktop refresh When enabled, the user's desktop icons are not refreshed after
retrieving corresponding .exe files. Enabling this flag may cause
icons on desktop shortcuts to not appear if the shortcut points to
an executable within the profile, but will prevent extraneous
desktop refreshes.
By default, the desktop icons are refreshed.
Disable user environment errors at logon When enabled, system user environment error messages are
disabled during logon.
By default, user environment errors are disabled.
Repository file download timeout Specifies the time (in milliseconds) before downloading a file
from the remote repository times out.
By default, the timeout is 1,800 seconds.
Driver Disable Flags Disable certain functionality in Persona Management.
File creation delay Indicates the delay (in milliseconds) between logon and the
creation of the offline files in the user's profile.
By default, the delay is 10,000 milliseconds.
Profile reconcile delay Indicates the delay (in seconds) between logon and starting to
reconcile the user's profile.
By default, the delay is 10 seconds.
Remove temporary files at logoff When enabled, files with a .tmp extension will be removed from
the user's profile at logoff. Persona Management uses .tmp files
for various file synchronization between the local and remote
profile.
By default, temporary files are removed.
Repository Connection Monitor When enabled, Persona Management will detect when the
connection to the persona repository has been lost or become
too slow. Once a fast connection is re-established all local
changes are uploaded and synchronized with the user's remote
persona. The frequency at which the network connection is
tested and the maximum network latency can be tuned for
optimum performance.
By default, the test interval is 120 seconds and the maximum
network latency is 40 ms.
Synchronize profile at logon When enabled, files in the user's local profile are synchronized
with the roaming profile at logon.
By default, the user's profile is synchronized at logon.
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Monitoring Virtual Desktops and
Desktop Pools 15
In Horizon Administrator, you can monitor the status of virtual desktops, unmanaged machines, or the
status of vCenter Server virtual machines in your Horizon 7 deployment.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nMonitor Virtual-Machine Desktop Status
nStatus of vCenter Server Virtual Machines
nRecover Instant-Clone Desktops
nStatus of Unmanaged Machines
Monitor Virtual-Machine Desktop Status
You can quickly survey the status of virtual-machine desktops in your View deployment by using the View
Administrator dashboard. For example, you can display all disconnected virtual machines or virtual
machines that are in maintenance mode.
Prerequisites
Familiarize yourself with the virtual machine states. See Status of vCenter Server Virtual Machines.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, click Dashboard.
2In the Machine Status pane, expand a status folder.
Option Description
Preparing Lists the machine states while the virtual machine is being provisioned, deleted,
or in maintenance mode.
Problem Machines Lists the machine error states.
Prepared for use Lists the machine states when the virtual machine is ready for use.
3Locate the machine status and click the hyperlinked number next to it.
The Machines page displays all virtual machines with the selected status.
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What to do next
You can click a machine name to see details about the virtual machine or click the View Administrator
back arrow to return to the dashboard page.
Status of vCenter Server Virtual Machines
Virtual machines that are managed by vCenter Server can be in various states of operation and
availability. In Horizon Administrator, you can track the status of machines in the right-hand column of the
Machines page.
Table 15‑1 shows the operational state of virtual-machine desktops that are displayed in Horizon
Administrator. A desktop can be in only one state at a time.
Table 15‑1. Status of Virtual Machines That Are Managed by vCenter Server
Status Description
Provisioning The virtual machine is being provisioned.
Customizing The virtual machine in an automated pool is being customized.
Deleting The virtual machine is marked for deletion. Horizon 7 will delete the virtual machine soon.
Waiting for Agent Horizon Connection Server is waiting to establish communication with View Agent or
Horizon Agent on a virtual machine in a manual pool.
Maintenance mode The virtual machine is in maintenance mode. Users cannot log in or use the virtual machine.
Startup View Agent or Horizon Agent has started on the virtual machine, but other required services
such as the display protocol are still starting. For example, View Agent cannot establish an
RDP connection with client computers until RDP has finished starting. The agent startup
period allows other processes such as protocol services to start up as well.
Agent disabled This state can occur in two cases. First, in a desktop pool with the Delete or refresh machine
on logoff or Delete machine after logoff setting enabled, a desktop session is logged out,
but the virtual machine is not yet refreshed or deleted. Second, View Connection Server
disables View Agent or Horizon Agent just before sending a request to power off the virtual
machine.
This state ensures that a new desktop session cannot be started on the virtual machine.
Agent unreachable Horizon Connection Server cannot establish communication with View Agent or Horizon Agent
on a virtual machine.
Invalid IP The subnet mask registry setting is configured on the virtual machine, and no active network
adapters have an IP address within the configured range.
Agent needs reboot An Horizon 7 component was upgraded, and the virtual machine must be restarted to allow
View Agent or Horizon Agent to operate with the upgraded component.
Protocol failure A display protocol did not start before the View Agent or Horizon Agent startup period expired.
Note View Administrator can display machines in a Protocol failure state when one protocol
failed but other protocols started successfully. For example, the Protocol failure state might
be displayed when HTML Access failed but PCoIP and RDP are working. In this case, the
machines are available and Horizon Client devices can access them through PCoIP or RDP.
Domain failure The virtual machine encountered a problem reaching the domain. The domain server was not
accessible, or the domain authentication failed.
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Table 15‑1. Status of Virtual Machines That Are Managed by vCenter Server (Continued)
Status Description
Already used In a desktop pool with the Delete or refresh machine on logoff or Delete machine after
logoff setting enabled, there is no session on the virtual machine, but the session was not
logged off.
This condition might occur if a virtual machine shuts down unexpectedly or the user resets the
machine during a session. By default, when a virtual machine is in this state, Horizon 7
prevents any other Horizon Client devices from accessing the desktop.
Configuration error The display protocol such as RDP or PCoIP is not enabled.
Provisioning error An error occurred during provisioning.
Error An unknown error occurred in the virtual machine.
Unassigned user connected A user other than the assigned user is logged in to a virtual machine in a dedicated pool.
For example, this state can occur if an administrator starts vSphere Client, opens a console
on the virtual machine, and logs in.
Unassigned user disconnected A user other than the assigned user is logged in and disconnected from a virtual machine in a
dedicated-assignment pool.
Unknown The virtual machine is in an unknown state.
Provisioned The virtual machine is powered off or suspended.
Available The virtual machine is powered on and ready for a connection. In a dedicated pool, the virtual
machine is assigned to a user and will start when the user logs in.
Connected The virtual machine is in a session and has a remote connection to the Horizon Client device.
Disconnected The virtual machine is in a session, but it is disconnected from the Horizon Client device.
In progress The virtual machine is in a transitional state during a maintenance operation.
While a machine is in a particular state, it can be subject to further conditions. Horizon Administrator
displays these conditions as suffixes to the machine state. For example, Horizon Administrator might
display the Customizing (missing) state.
Table 15‑2 shows these additional conditions.
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Table 15‑2. Machine Status Conditions
Condition Description
Missing The virtual machine is missing in vCenter Server.
Typically, the virtual machine was deleted in vCenter Server, but the Horizon LDAP
configuration still has a record of the machine.
Task halted An instant clone task such as push image or a View Composer operation such as refresh,
recompose, or rebalance was stopped.
For details about troubleshooting a recompose operation, see Correcting an Unsuccessful
Recomposition.
For details about View Composer error states, see View Composer Provisioning Errors.
The Task halted condition applies to all virtual machines that were selected for the
operation, but on which the operation has not yet started. Virtual machines in the pool that
are not selected for the operation are not placed in the Task halted condition.
A machine state can be subject to both conditions, (missing, task halted), if a View Composer task
was stopped and the virtual machine is missing in vCenter Server.
Recover Instant-Clone Desktops
When an instant-clone desktop is in an error state, you have the option to recover it. The desktop is
recreated from the current base image.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools, double-click a pool's ID, and click the
Inventory tab.
2Select one or more machines and click Recover.
Status of Unmanaged Machines
Unmanaged machines, which are physical computers or virtual machines that are not managed by
vCenter Server, can be in various states of operation and availability. In View Administrator, you can track
the status of unmanaged machines in the right-hand column of the Machines page under the Others tab.
Table 15‑3 shows the operational state of unmanaged machines that are displayed in View Administrator.
A machine can be in only one state at a time.
Table 15‑3. Status of Unmanaged Machines
Status Description
Startup View Agent or Horizon Agent has started on the machine, but other required services such as
the display protocol are still starting. The agent startup period allows other processes such as
protocol services to start up as well.
Validating This state occurs after View Connection Server first becomes aware of the machine, typically
after View Connection Server is started or restarted, and before the first successful
communication with View Agent or Horizon Agent on the machine. Typically, this state is
transient. It is not the same as the Agent unreachable state, which indicates a communication
problem.
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Table 15‑3. Status of Unmanaged Machines (Continued)
Status Description
Agent disabled This state can occur if View Connection Server disables View Agent or Horizon Agent. This
state ensures that a new desktop session cannot be started on the machine.
Agent unreachable View Connection Server cannot establish communication with View Agent or Horizon Agent on
the machine. The machine might be powered off.
Invalid IP The subnet mask registry setting is configured on the machine, and no active network adapters
have an IP address within the configured range.
Agent needs reboot A View component was upgraded, and the machine must be restarted to allow View Agent or
Horizon Agent to operate with the upgraded component.
Protocol failure A display protocol did not start before the View Agent or Horizon Agent startup period expired.
Note View Administrator can display machines in a Protocol failure state when one protocol
failed but other protocols started successfully. For example, the Protocol failure state might
be displayed when HTML Access failed but PCoIP and RDP are working. In this case, the
machines are available and Horizon Client devices can access them through PCoIP or RDP.
Domain failure The machine encountered a problem reaching the domain. The domain server was not
accessible, or the domain authentication failed.
Configuration error The display protocol such as RDP or another protocol is not enabled.
Unassigned user connected A user other than the assigned user is logged in to a machine in a dedicated-assignment pool.
For example, this state can occur if an administrator logs in to the unmanaged machine without
using Horizon Client.
Unassigned user disconnected A user other than the assigned user is logged in and disconnected from a machine in a
dedicated-assignment pool.
Unknown The machine is in an unknown state.
Available The desktop-source computer is powered on and the desktop is ready for a connection. In a
dedicated pool, the desktop is assigned to a user. The desktop starts when the user logs in.
Connected The desktop is in a session and has a remote connection to a Horizon Client device.
Disconnected The desktop is in a session, but it is disconnected from the Horizon Client device.
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Troubleshooting Machines and
Desktop Pools 16
You can use a variety of procedures to diagnose and fix problems that you encounter when you create
and use machines and desktop pools.
Users might experience difficulty when they use Horizon Client to access desktops and applications. You
can use troubleshooting procedures to investigate the causes of such problems and attempt to correct
them yourself, or you can obtain assistance from VMware Technical Support.
This chapter includes the following topics:
nDisplay Problem Machines
nTroubleshooting Instant Clones in the Internal VM Debug Mode
nRestart Desktops and Reset Virtual Machines
nSend Messages to Desktop Users
nProblems Provisoning or Recreating a Desktop Pool
nTroubleshooting Network Connection Problems
nTroubleshooting USB Redirection Problems
nManage Machines and Policies for Unentitled Users
nResolving Database Inconsistencies with the ViewDbChk Command
nFurther Troubleshooting Information
Display Problem Machines
You can display a list of the machines whose operation View has detected as being suspect.
View Administrator displays machines that exhibit the following problems:
nAre powered on, but which are not responding.
nRemain in the provisioning state for a long time.
nAre ready, but which report that they are not accepting connections.
nAppear to be missing from a vCenter Server.
nHave active logins on the console, logins by users who are not entitled, or logins not made via a View
Connection Server instance.
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Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Resources > Machines.
2On the vCenter VMs tab, click Problem Machines.
What to do next
The action that you should take depends on the problem that View Administrator reports for a machine.
nIf a linked-clone machine is in an error state, the View automatic recovery mechanism attempts to
power on, or shut down and restart, the linked clone. If repeated recovery attempts fail, the linked
clone is deleted. In certain situations, a linked clone might be repeatedly deleted and recreated. See
Troubleshooting Machines That Are Repeatedly Deleted and Recreated.
nIf a machine is powered on, but does not respond, restart its virtual machine. If the machine still does
not respond, verify that the version of the Horizon Agent is supported for the machine operating
system. You can use the vdmadmin command with the -A option to display the Horizon Agent version.
For more information, see the View Administration document.
nIf a machine remains in the provisioning state for a long time, delete its virtual machine, and clone it
again. Verify that there is sufficient disk space to provision the machine. See Virtual Machines Are
Stuck in the Provisioning State.
nIf a machine reports that it is ready, but does not accept connections, check the firewall configuration
to make sure that the display protocol is not blocked. See Connection Problems Between Machines
and Horizon Connection Server Instances.
nIf a machine appears to be missing from a vCenter Server, verify whether its virtual machine is
configured on the expected vCenter Server, or if it has been moved to another vCenter Server.
nIf a machine has an active login, but this is not on the console, the session must be remote. If you
cannot contact the logged-in users, you might need to restart the virtual machine to forcibly log out
the users.
Troubleshooting Instant Clones in the Internal VM Debug
Mode
You can use the internal VM debug mode to troubleshoot internal virtual machines in instant-clone
desktop pools. With the internal VM debug mode, you can analyze failed internal virtual machines before
these virtual machines are deleted. You must enable the internal VM debug mode before you create an
instant-clone desktop pool.
Procedure
1In the vSphere Web Client, select the master VM, and click Manage > Configure > VM Options >
Edit > VM Options > Advanced > Edit Configuration.
The Configuration Parameters window displays a list of parameter names and values.
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2In the Configuration Parameters window, search for the cloneprep.debug.mode parameter.
If the master VM does not have the cloneprep.debug.mode parameter, you must add
cloneprep.debug.mode as the parameter name and add a value of ON or OFF. If the master VM
has the cloneprep.debug.mode parameter, you can change the value of the parameter to ON or
OFF.
3Enable or disable the internal VM debug mode for internal VMs.
nTo enable the internal VM debug mode, set the value of cloneprep.debug.mode to ON. If you
enable the internal VM debug mode, the internal VMs are not locked and cannot be deleted by
Horizon Server.
nTo disable the internal VM debug mode, set the value of cloneprep.debug.mode to OFF. If you
disable the internal VM debug mode, the internal VMs are locked and can be deleted by Horizon
Server.
For instant clones actions such as prime, provision, resync, or unprime, the internal virtual machines
use the value set in the master virtual machine. If you do not disable the internal VM debug mode,
then the VMs remain in vSphere till you delete the VMs.
Restart Desktops and Reset Virtual Machines
You can perform a restart operation on a virtual desktop, which performs a graceful operating system
restart of the virtual machine. You can perform a reset operation on a virtual machine without the graceful
operating system restart, which performs a hard power-off and power-on of the virtual machine.
Table 16‑1. Reset and Restart Functionality
Pool Type
Reset Functionality
(Pools, Machines, Sessions, and
Horizon Clients)
Restart Functionality
(Pools, Machines, Sessions, and
Horizon Clients)
Manual Pool Reset the VM (Power Off and Power On
VM)
Restart the VM (Graceful OS restart)
Full-clone pool (dedicated pool and
floating pool without delete on logOff
option enabled)
Reset the VM (Power Off and Power On
VM)
Restart the VM (Graceful OS restart)
Full-clone pool (floating pool with delete
on logOff option enabled)
Power Off VM > Delete VM > Create
new VM > Power On
Graceful OS shut down > Delete VM >
Create new VM > Power On
Linked-clone pool (dedicated pool and
floating pool without refresh/delete on
logOff option enabled)
Reset the VM (Power Off and Power On) Restart the VM (Graceful OS restart)
Linked-clone pool (floating pool with
refresh on logOff option enabled)
Power Off VM > Refresh VM > Power
On
Graceful OS shut down > Refresh VM >
Power On
Linked-clone pool (floating pool with
delete on logOff option enabled)
Power Off VM > Delete VM > Create
new VM > Power On
Graceful OS shut down > Delete VM >
Create new VM > Power On
Instant-clone pool (floating pool) Power Off VM > Delete VM > Create
new VM > Power On
Graceful OS shut down > Delete VM >
Create new VM > Power On
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Table 16‑1. Reset and Restart Functionality (Continued)
Pool Type
Reset Functionality
(Pools, Machines, Sessions, and
Horizon Clients)
Restart Functionality
(Pools, Machines, Sessions, and
Horizon Clients)
Instant-clone pool (dedicated pool) Resync Resync
Published desktop pools NA (Not Supported) NA (Not Supported)
Note The restart functionality is available for Horizon Clients 4.4 and later.
Procedure
1In Horizon Administrator, select Resources > Machines.
2On the vCenter VMs tab, choose to restart a virtual desktop or reset a virtual machine.
Option Description
Restart Desktop Restarts the virtual machine with a graceful operating system restart. This action
applies only to an automated pool or a manual pool that contains vCenter Server
virtual machines.
Reset Virtual Machine Resets the virtual machine without a graceful operating system restart. This
action applies only to an automated pool or a manual pool that contains
vCenter Server virtual machines.
3Click OK.
Send Messages to Desktop Users
You might sometimes need to send messages to users who are currently logged into desktops. For
example, if you need to perform maintenance on machine, you can ask the users to log out temporarily, or
warn them of a future interruption of service. You can send a message to multiple users.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, click Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2Double-click a pool and click the Sessions tab.
3Select one or more machines and click Send Message.
4Type the message, select the message type, and click OK.
A message type can be Info, Warning, or Error.
The message is sent to all selected machines in active sessions.
Problems Provisoning or Recreating a Desktop Pool
You can use several procedures for diagnosing and fixing problems with the provisioning or recreation of
desktop pools.
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Instant-Clone Provisioning or Push Image Failure
The pending image of an instant-clone desktop pool is in a failed state.
Problem
During pool creation or a push image operation, the error message Fault type is
SERVER_FAULT_FATAL - Runtime error: Method called after shutdown was initiated is
displayed.
Cause
This can happen occasionally when a replica Connection Server is started while another Connection
Server is doing image operations.
Solution
nIf the error occurs during pool creation, enable provisioning if it is disabled. If it is enabled, disable
and then enable it.
nIf the error occurs during a push image operation, initiate another push image operation with the
same image.
Instant Clone Image Publish Failure
View administrator shows that an image publish failed.
Problem
After creating an instant-clone desktop pool or initiating a push image, you check the status of the
operation and View Administrator shows that the image publish failed.
Solution
nRe-enable provisioning if it is disabled. If it is enabled, disable and then enable it. This causes View to
trigger a new Initial Publish operation.
nIf it is determined that the current image has some issues, initiate another push image operation with
a different image.
What to do next
If the image publish fails repeatedly, wait 30 minutes and try again.
Endless Error Recovery During Instant-Clone Provisioning
Error recovery falls into an endless loop during the provisioning of an instant-clone desktop pool
Problem
During provisioning, instant clones can go into an error state with the message "No network connection
between Agent and connection Server". The automatic error recovery mechanism deletes and recreates
the clones, which go into the same error state and the process repeats indefinitely.
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Cause
Possible causes include a permanent network error or an incorrect path to the post-customization script.
Solution
uFix any error in the network or the path to the post-customization script.
Cannot Delete Orphaned Instant Clones
On rare occasions, during provisioning, an instant clone gets into an error state and you cannot delete the
desktop pool from View Administrator.
Problem
To delete the pool, View sends requests to vCenter Server to power off the clones. However, the requests
fail for clones that are orphaned. The result is that View cannot delete the pool.
Solution
1From vCenter Server, unregister the orphaned clones.
2From View Administrator, delete the clones.
Pool Creation Fails if Customization Specifications Cannot Be
Found
If you try to create a desktop pool, the operation fails if the customization specifications cannot be found.
Problem
You cannot create a desktop pool, and you see the following message in the event database.
Provisioning error occurred for Machine Machine_Name: Customization failed for Machine
Cause
The most likely cause of this problem is that you have insufficient permissions to access the
customization specifications, or to create a pool. Another possible cause is that the customization
specification has been renamed or deleted.
Solution
nVerify that you have sufficient permissions to access the customization specifications, and to create a
pool.
nIf the customization specification no longer exists because it has been renamed or deleted, choose a
different specification.
Pool Creation Fails Because of a Permissions Problem
You cannot create a desktop pool if there is a permissions problem with an ESX/ESXi host, ESX/ESXi
cluster, or datacenter.
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Problem
You cannot create a desktop pool in View Administrator because the templates, ESX/ESXi host,
ESX/ESXi cluster, or datacenter are not accessible.
Cause
This problem has a number of possible causes.
nYou do not have the correct permissions to create a pool.
nYou do not have the correct permissions to access the templates.
nYou do not have the correct permissions to access the ESX/ESXi host, ESX/ESXi cluster, or
datacenter.
Solution
nIf the Template Selection screen does not show any available templates, verify that you have
sufficient permissions to access the templates.
nVerify that you have sufficient permissions to access the ESX/ESXi host, ESX/ESXi cluster, or
datacenter.
nVerify that you have sufficient permissions to create a pool.
Pool Provisioning Fails Due to a Configuration Problem
If a template is not available or a virtual machine image has been moved or deleted, provisioning of a
desktop pool can fail.
Problem
A desktop pool is not provisioned, and you see the following message in the event database.
Provisioning error occurred on Pool Desktop_ID because of a configuration problem
Cause
This problem has a number of possible causes.
nA template is not accessible.
nThe name of a template has been changed in vCenter.
nA template has been moved to a different folder in vCenter.
nA virtual machine image has been moved between ESX/ESXi hosts, or it has been deleted.
Solution
nVerify that the template is accessible.
nVerify that the correct name and folder are specified for the template.
nIf a virtual machine image has been moved between ESX/ESXi hosts, move the virtual machine to
the correct vCenter folder.
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nIf a virtual machine image has been deleted, delete the entry for the virtual machine in View
Administrator and recreate or restore the image.
Pool Provisioning Fails Due to a View Connection Server Instance
Being Unable to Connect to vCenter
If a Connection Server is not able to connect to vCenter, provisioning of a desktop pool can fail.
Problem
Provisioning of a desktop pool fails, and you see one of the following error messages in the event
database.
nCannot log in to vCenter at address VC_Address
nThe status of vCenter at address VC_Address is unknown
Cause
The View Connection Server instance cannot connect to vCenter for one of the following reasons.
nThe Web service on the vCenter Server has stopped.
nThere are networking problems between the View Connection Server host and the vCenter Server.
nThe port numbers and login details for vCenter or View Composer have changed.
Solution
nVerify that the Web service is running on the vCenter.
nVerify that there are no network problems between the View Connection Server host and the vCenter.
nIn View Administrator, verify the port numbers and login details that are configured for vCenter and
View Composer.
Pool Provisioning Fails Due to Datastore Problems
If a datastore is out of disk space, or you do not have permission to access the datastore, provisioning of
a desktop pool can fail.
Problem
Provisioning of a desktop pool fails, and you see one of the following error messages in the event
database.
nProvisioning error occurred for Machine Machine_Name: Cloning failed for Machine
nProvisioning error occurred on Pool Desktop_ID because available free disk space
is reserved for linked clones
nProvisioning error occurred on Pool Desktop_ID because of a resource problem
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Cause
You do not have permission to access the selected datastore, or the datastore being used for the pool is
out of disk space.
Solution
nVerify that you have sufficient permissions to access the selected datastore.
nVerify whether the disk on which the datastore is configured is full.
nIf the disk is full or the space is reserved, free up space on the disk, rebalance the available
datastores, or migrate the datastore to a larger disk.
Pool Provisioning Fails Due to vCenter Server Being Overloaded
If vCenter Server is overloaded with requests, provisioning of a desktop pool can fail.
Problem
Provisioning of a desktop pool fails, and you see the following error message in the event database.
Provisioning error occurred on Pool Desktop_ID because of a timeout while customizing
Cause
vCenter is overloaded with requests.
Solution
nIn View Administrator, reduce the maximum number of concurrent provisioning and power operations
for vCenter Server.
nConfigure additional vCenter Server instances.
For more information about configuring vCenter Server, see the View Installation document.
Virtual Machines Are Stuck in the Provisioning State
After being cloned, virtual machines are stuck in the Provisioning state.
Problem
Virtual machines are stuck in the Provisioning state.
Cause
The most likely cause of this problem is that you restarted the View Connection Server instance during a
cloning operation.
Solution
uDelete the virtual machines and clone them again.
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Virtual Machines Are Stuck in the Customizing State
After being cloned, virtual machines are stuck in the Customizing state.
Problem
Virtual machines are stuck in the Customizing state.
Cause
The most likely cause of this problem is that there is not enough disk space to start the virtual machine. A
virtual machine must start before customization can take place.
Solution
nDelete the virtual machine to recover from a stuck customization.
nIf the disk is full, free up space on the disk or migrate the datastore to a larger disk.
Removing Orphaned or Deleted Linked Clones
Under certain conditions, linked-clone data in View, View Composer, and vCenter Server might get out of
synchronization, and you might be unable to provision or delete linked-clone machines.
Problem
nYou cannot provision a linked-clone desktop pool.
nProvisioning linked-clone machines fails, and the following error occurs: Virtual machine with
Input Specification already exists
nIn View Administrator, linked-clone machines are stuck in a Deleting state. You cannot restart the
Delete command in View Administrator because the machines are already in the Deleting state.
Cause
This issue occurs if the View Composer database contains information about linked clones that is
inconsistent with the information in View LDAP, Active Directory, or vCenter Server. Several situations can
cause this inconsistency:
nThe linked-clone virtual machine name is changed manually in vCenter Server after the pool was
created, causing View Composer and vCenter Server refer to the same virtual machine with different
names.
nA storage failure or manual operation causes the virtual machine to be deleted from vCenter Server.
The linked-clone virtual machine data still exists in the View Composer database, View LDAP, and
Active Directory.
nWhile a pool is being deleted from View Administrator, a networking or other failure leaves the virtual
machine in vCenter Server.
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Solution
If the virtual machine name was renamed in vSphere Client after the desktop pool was provisioned, try
renaming the virtual machine to the name that was used when it was deployed in View.
If other database information is inconsistent, use the SviConfig RemoveSviClone command to remove
these items:
nThe linked clone database entries from the View Composer database
nThe linked clone machine account from Active Directory
nThe linked clone virtual machine from vCenter Server
The SviConfig utility is located with the View Composer application. The default path is C:\Program
Files (x86)\VMware\VMware View Composer\sviconfig.exe.
Important Only experienced View Composer administrators should use the SviConfig utility. This utility
is intended to resolve issues relating to the View Composer service.
Take these steps:
1 Verify that the View Composer service is running.
2 From a Windows command prompt on the View Composer computer, run the SviConfig
RemoveSviClone command in the following form:
sviconfig -operation=removesviclone
-VmName=virtual machine name
[-AdminUser=local administrator username]
-AdminPassword=local administrator password
[-ServerUrl=View Composer server URL]
For example:
sviconfig -operation=removesviclone -vmname=MyLinkedClone
-adminuser=Admin -adminpassword=Pass -serverurl=ViewComposerURL
The VmName and AdminPassword parameters are required. The default value of the AdminUser
parameter is Administrator. The default value of the ServerURL parameter is
https://localhost:18443/SviService/v2_0
For more information about removing virtual machine information from View LDAP, see VMware
Knowledge Base article 2015112: Manually deleting linked clones or stale virtual desktop entries from the
View Composer database in VMware View Manager and VMware Horizon View.
Troubleshooting Machines That Are Repeatedly Deleted and
Recreated
View can repeatedly delete and recreate linked-clone and full-clone machines that are in an Error state.
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Problem
A linked-clone or full-clone machine is created in an Error state, deleted, and recreated in an Error state.
This cycle keeps repeating.
Cause
When a large desktop pool is provisioned, one or more virtual machines might end up in an Error state.
The View automatic recovery mechanism attempts to power on the failed virtual machine. If the virtual
machine does not power on after a certain number of attempts, View deletes the virtual machine.
Following the pool size requirements, View creates a new virtual machine, often with the same machine
name as the original machine. If the new virtual machine is provisioned with the same error, that virtual
machine is deleted, and the cycle repeats.
Automatic recovery is performed on linked-clone and full-clone machines.
If automatic recovery attempts fail for a virtual machine, View deletes the virtual machine only if it is a
floating machine or a dedicated machine that is not assigned to a user. Also, View does not delete virtual
machines when pool provisioning is disabled.
Solution
Examine the parent virtual machine or template that was used to create the desktop pool. Check for
errors in the virtual machine or guest operating system that might cause the error in the virtual machine.
For linked clones, resolve errors in the parent virtual machine and take a new snapshot.
nIf many machines are in an Error state, use the new snapshot or template to recreate the pool.
nIf most machines are healthy, select the desktop pool in View Administrator, click Edit, select the
vCenter Settings tab, select the new snapshot as a default base image, and save your edits.
New linked-clone machines are created using the new snapshot.
For full clones, resolve errors in the virtual machine, generate a new template, and recreate the pool.
Troubleshooting QuickPrep Customization Problems
A View Composer QuickPrep customization script can fail for a variety of reasons.
Problem
A QuickPrep post-synchronization or power-off script does not execute. In some cases, a script might
complete successfully on some linked clones, but fail on others.
Cause
A few common causes exist for QuickPrep script failures:
nThe script times out
nThe script path refers to a script that requires an interpreter
nThe account under which the script runs does not have sufficient permission to execute a script task
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Solution
nExamine the customization script log.
QuickPrep customization information is written to a log file in Windows temp directory:
C:\Windows\Temp\vmware-viewcomposer-ga-new.log
nDetermine if the script timed out.
View Composer terminates a customization script that takes longer than 20 seconds. The log file
displays a message showing that the script has started and a later message indicating the timeout:
2010-02-21 21:05:47,687 [1500] INFO Ready -
[Ready.cpp, 102] Running the PostSync script: cmd /c
C:\temp\build\composer.bat
2010-02-21 21:06:07,348 [1500] FATAL Guest -
[Guest.cpp, 428] script cmd /c
C:\temp\build\composer.bat timed out
To solve a timeout problem, increase the timeout limit for the script and run it again.
nDetermine if the script path is valid.
If you use a scripting language that needs an interpreter to execute the script, the script path must
start with the interpreter binary.
For example, if you specify the path C:\script\myvb.vbs as a QuickPrep customization script, View
Composer Agent cannot execute the script. You must specify a path that starts with the interpreter
binary path:
C:\windows\system32\cscript.exe c:\script\myvb.vbs
nDetermine if the account under which the script runs has appropriate permissions to perform script
tasks.
QuickPrep runs the scripts under the account under which the VMware View Composer Guest Agent
Server service is configured to run. By default, this account is Local System.
Do not change this log on account. If you do, the linked clones do not start.
Finding and Unprotecting Unused View Composer Replicas
Under certain conditions, View Composer replicas might remain in vCenter Server when they no longer
have any linked clones associated with them.
Problem
An unused replica remains in a vCenter Server folder. You are unable to remove the replica by using
vSphere Client.
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Cause
Network outages during View Composer operations, or removing the associated linked clones directly
from vSphere without using the proper View commands, might leave an unused replica in vCenter Server.
Replicas are protected entities in vCenter Server. They cannot be removed by ordinary vCenter Server or
vSphere Client management commands.
Solution
Use the SviConfig FindUnusedReplica command to find the replica in a specified folder. You can use
the -Move parameter to move the replica to another folder. The -Move parameter unprotects an unused
replica before moving it.
Important Only experienced View Composer administrators should use the SviConfig utility. This utility
is intended to resolve issues relating to the View Composer service.
The SviConfig utility is located with the View Composer application. The default path is C:\Program
Files (x86)\VMware\VMware View Composer\sviconfig.exe.
Before you begin, verify that no linked clones are associated with the replica.
Familiarize yourself with the SviConfig FindUnusedReplica parameters:
nDsnName. The DSN that must be used to connect to the database.
nUserName. The user name used to connect to the database. If this parameter is not specified,
Windows authentication is used.
nPassword. The password for the user that connects to the database. If this parameter is not specified
and Windows authentication is not used, you are prompted to enter the password later.
nReplicaFolder. The name of the replica folder. Use an empty string for the root folder. The default
value is VMwareViewComposerReplicaFolder.
nUnusedReplicaFolder. The name of the folder to contain all unused replicas. The default value is
UnusedViewComposerReplicaFolder. Use this parameter to specify the destination folder when you
use the Move parameter.
nOutputDir. The name of the output directory in which the list of unused replicas, stored in the
unused-replica-*.txt file, is generated. The default value is the current working directory.
nMove. Determines whether to unprotect unused replica virtual machines and move them to a specified
folder. The UnusedReplicaFolder parameter specifies the destination folder. The default value of
the Move parameter is false.
The DsnName, Username, and Password parameters are required. The DsnName cannot be an empty
string.
Take these steps:
1 Stop the View Composer service.
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2 From a Windows command prompt on the View Composer computer, run the SviConfig
FindUnusedReplica command in the following form:
sviconfig -operation=findunusedreplica
-DsnName=name of the DSN
-Username=Database administrator username
-Password=Database administrator password
[-ReplicaFolder=Replica folder name]
[-UnusedReplicaFolder=Unused replica folder name.]
[-OutputDir=Output file directory]
[-Move=true or false]
For example:
sviconfig -operation=FindUnusedReplica -DsnName=SVI
-Username=SVIUser -Password=1234 -Move=True
3 Restart the View Composer service.
4 (Optional) After the replica is moved to the new folder, remove the replica virtual machine from
vCenter Server.
View Composer Provisioning Errors
If an error occurs when View Composer provisions or recomposes linked-clone machines, an error code
indicates the cause of the failure. The error code appears in the machine-status column in View
Administrator.
Table 16‑2 describes the View Composer provisioning error codes.
This table lists errors that are associated with View Composer and QuickPrep customization. Additional
errors can occur in View Connection Server and other View components that can interfere with machine
provisioning.
Table 16‑2. View Composer Provisioning Errors
Error Description
0 The policy was applied successfully.
Note Result code 0 does not appear in View Administrator. The linked-clone machine proceeds to a Ready state,
unless a View error outside the domain of View Composer occurs. This result code is included for completeness.
1 Failed to set the computer name.
2 Failed to redirect the user profiles to the View Composer persistent disk.
3 Failed to set the computer's domain account password.
4 Failed to back up a user's profile keys. The next time the user logs in to this linked-clone machine after the
recompose operation, the OS creates a new profile directory for the user. As a new profile is created, the user
cannot not see the old profile data.
5 Failed to restore a user's profile. The user should not log in to the machine in this state because the profile state is
undefined.
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Table 16‑2. View Composer Provisioning Errors (Continued)
Error Description
6 Errors not covered by other error codes. The View Composer agent log files in the guest OS can provide more
information about the causes of these errors.
For example, a Windows Plug and Play (PnP) timeout can generate this error code. In this situation, View
Composer times out after waiting for the PnP service to install new volumes for the linked-clone virtual machine.
PnP mounts up to three disks, depending on how the pool was configured:
nView Composer persistent disk
nNonpersistent disk for redirecting guest OS temp and paging files
nInternal disk that stores QuickPrep configuration and other OS-related data. This disk is always configured
with a linked clone.
The timeout length is 10 minutes. If PnP does not finish mounting the disks within 10 minutes, View Composer fails
with error code 6.
7 Too many View Composer persistent disks are attached to the linked clone. A clone can have at most three View
Composer persistent disks.
8 A persistent disk could not be mounted on the datastore that was selected when the pool was created.
9 View Composer could not redirect disposable-data files to the nonpersistent disk. Either the paging file or the
temp-files folders were not redirected.
10 View Composer cannot find the QuickPrep configuration policy file on the specified internal disk.
12 View Composer cannot find the internal disk that contains the QuickPrep configuration policy file and other OS-
related data.
13 More than one persistent disk is configured to redirect the Windows user profile.
14 View Composer failed to unmount the internal disk.
15 The computer name that View Composer read from configuration-policy file does not match the current system
name after the linked clone is initially powered on.
16 The View Composer agent did not start because the volume license for the guest OS was not activated.
17 The View Composer agent did not start. The agent timed out while waiting for Sysprep to start.
18 The View Composer agent failed to join the linked-clone virtual machine to a domain during customization.
19 The View Composer agent failed to execute a post-synchronization script.
20 The View Composer agent failed to handle a machine password synchronization event.
This error might be transient. If the linked clone joins the domain, the password is fine.
If the clone fails to join the domain, restart the operation you performed before the error occurred. If you restarted
the clone, restart it again. If you refreshed the clone, refresh it again. If the clone still fails to join the domain,
recompose the clone.
21 The View Composer agent failed to mount the system disposable disk.
22 The View Composer agent failed to mount the View Composer persistent disk.
Troubleshooting Network Connection Problems
You can use a variety of procedures for diagnosing and fixing problems with network connections with
machines, Horizon Client devices, and View Connection Server instances.
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Connection Problems Between Machines and Horizon Connection
Server Instances
You might experience connection problems between machines and Horizon Connection Server instances.
Problem
If connectivity between a machine and a Connection Server instance fails, you see one of the following
messages in the event database.
nProvisioning error occurred for Machine Machine_Name: Customization error due to
no network communication between the Horizon Agent and Connection Server
nProvisioning error occurred on Pool Desktop_ID because of a networking problem
with a Horizon Agent
nUnable to launch from Pool Desktop_ID for user User_Display_Name: Failed to
connect to Machine MachineName using Protocol
Cause
The connectivity problems between a machine and a Connection Server instance can occur for different
reasons.
nLookup failure on the machine for the DNS name of the Connection Server host.
nThe ports for JMS, RDP, or AJP13 communication being blocked by firewall rules.
nThe failure of the JMS router on the Connection Server host.
Solution
nAt a command prompt on the machine, type the nslookup command.
nslookup CS_FQDN
CS_FQDN is the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the Connection Server host. If the command
fails to return the IP address of the Connection Server host, apply general network troubleshooting
techniques to correct the DNS configuration.
nAt a command prompt on the machine, verify that TCP port 4001, which Horizon Agent uses to
establish JMS communication with the Connection Server host, is working by typing the telnet
command.
telnet CS_FQDN 4001
If the telnet connection is established, network connectivity for JMS is working.
nIf a security server is deployed in the DMZ, verify that exception rules are configured in the inner
firewall to allow RDP connectivity between the security server and virtual machines on TCP port
3389.
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nIf secure connections are bypassed, verify that the firewall rules allow a client to establish either a
direct RDP connection to the virtual machine on TCP port 3389, or a direct PCoIP connection to the
virtual machine on TCP port 4172 and UDP port 4172.
nVerify that exception rules are configured in the inner firewall to allow connections between each
Security Server and its associated Connection Server host on TCP port 4001 (JMS) and TCP port
8009 (AJP13).
Connection Problems Between Horizon Client and the PCoIP
Secure Gateway
You might experience connection problems between Horizon Client and a security server or Horizon
Connection Server host when the PCoIP Secure Gateway is configured to authenticate external users
that communicate over PCoIP.
Problem
Clients that use PCoIP cannot connect to or display Horizon 7 desktops. The initial login to a security
server or Connection Server instance succeeds, but the connection fails when the user selects a
Horizon 7 desktop. This issue occurs when the PCoIP Secure Gateway is configured on a security server
or Connection Server host.
Note Typically, the PCoIP Secure Gateway is leveraged on a security server. In a network configuration
in which external clients connect directly to a Horizon Connection Server host, the PCoIP Secure
Gateway can also be configured on Connection Server.
Cause
Problems connecting to the PCoIP Secure Gateway can occur for different reasons.
nWindows Firewall has closed a port that is required for the PCoIP Secure Gateway.
nThe PCoIP Secure Gateway is not enabled on the security server or Horizon Connection Server
instance.
nThe PCoIP External URL setting is configured incorrectly. You must specify this setting as the
external IP address that clients can access over the Internet.
nThe PCoIP External URL, secure tunnel External URL, Blast External URL, or another address is
configured to point to a different security server or Connection Server host. When you configure these
addresses on a security server or Connection Server host, all addresses must allow client systems to
reach the current host.
nThe client is connecting through an external web proxy that has closed a port required for the PCoIP
Secure Gateway. For example, a web proxy in a hotel network or public wireless connection might
block the required ports.
nThe Connection Server instance that is paired with the security server on which the PCoIP Secure
Gateway is configured is version View 4.5 or earlier. The security server and paired Connection
Server instance must be View 4.6 or later.
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Solution
nCheck that the following network ports are opened on the firewall for the security server or
Connection Server host.
Port Description
TCP 4172 From Horizon Client to the security server or Connection Server host.
UDP 4172 Between Horizon Client and the security server or Connection Server host, in both directions.
TCP 4172 From the security server or Connection Server host to the Horizon 7 desktop.
UDP 4172 Between the security server or Connection Server host and the Horizon 7 desktop, in both directions.
nIn Horizon Administrator, make sure that the PCoIP Secure Gateway is enabled.
a Click View Configuration > Servers.
b Select the Connection Server instance on the Connection Servers tab and click Edit.
c Select Use PCoIP Secure Gateway for PCoIP connections to machine.
The PCoIP Secure Gateway is disabled by default.
d Click OK.
nIn Horizon Administrator, make sure that the PCoIP External URL is configured correctly.
a Click View Configuration > Servers.
b Select the host to configure.
nIf your users connect to the PCoIP Secure Gateway on a security server, select the security
server on the Security Servers tab.
nIf your users connect to the PCoIP Secure Gateway on a Connection Server instance, select
that instance on the Connection Servers tab.
c Click Edit.
d In the PCoIP External URL text box, make sure that the URL contains the external IP address for
the security server or Connection Server host that clients can access over the Internet.
Specify port 4172. Do not include a protocol name.
For example: 10.20.30.40:4172
e Make sure that all addresses in this dialog allow client systems to reach this host.
All addresses in the Edit Security Server Settings dialog must allow client systems to reach this
security server host. All addresses in the Edit Connection Server Settings dialog must allow client
systems to reach this Connection Server instance.
f Click OK.
Repeat these steps for each security server and Connection Server instance on which users connect
to the PCoIP Secure Gateway.
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nIf the user is connecting through a web proxy that is outside of your network, and the proxy is
blocking a required port, direct the user to connect from a different network location.
Connection Problems Between Machines and Horizon Connection
Server Instances
You might experience connection problems between machines and Horizon Connection Server instances.
Problem
If connectivity between a machine and a Connection Server instance fails, you see one of the following
messages in the event database.
nProvisioning error occurred for Machine Machine_Name: Customization error due to
no network communication between the Horizon Agent and Connection Server
nProvisioning error occurred on Pool Desktop_ID because of a networking problem
with a Horizon Agent
nUnable to launch from Pool Desktop_ID for user User_Display_Name: Failed to
connect to Machine MachineName using Protocol
Cause
The connectivity problems between a machine and a Connection Server instance can occur for different
reasons.
nLookup failure on the machine for the DNS name of the Connection Server host.
nThe ports for JMS, RDP, or AJP13 communication being blocked by firewall rules.
nThe failure of the JMS router on the Connection Server host.
Solution
nAt a command prompt on the machine, type the nslookup command.
nslookup CS_FQDN
CS_FQDN is the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the Connection Server host. If the command
fails to return the IP address of the Connection Server host, apply general network troubleshooting
techniques to correct the DNS configuration.
nAt a command prompt on the machine, verify that TCP port 4001, which Horizon Agent uses to
establish JMS communication with the Connection Server host, is working by typing the telnet
command.
telnet CS_FQDN 4001
If the telnet connection is established, network connectivity for JMS is working.
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nIf a security server is deployed in the DMZ, verify that exception rules are configured in the inner
firewall to allow RDP connectivity between the security server and virtual machines on TCP port
3389.
nIf secure connections are bypassed, verify that the firewall rules allow a client to establish either a
direct RDP connection to the virtual machine on TCP port 3389, or a direct PCoIP connection to the
virtual machine on TCP port 4172 and UDP port 4172.
nVerify that exception rules are configured in the inner firewall to allow connections between each
Security Server and its associated Connection Server host on TCP port 4001 (JMS) and TCP port
8009 (AJP13).
Connection Problems Due to Incorrect Assignment of IP
Addresses to Cloned Machines
You might not be able to connect to cloned machines if they have static IP addresses.
Problem
You cannot use Horizon Client to connect to cloned machines.
Cause
Cloned machines are incorrectly configured to use a static IP address instead of using DHCP to obtain
their IP addresses.
Solution
1Verify that the template for a desktop pool on vCenter Server is configured to use DHCP to assign IP
addresses to machines.
2In the vSphere Web Client, clone one virtual machine manually from the desktop pool and verify that
it obtains its IP address from DHCP correctly.
Troubleshooting USB Redirection Problems
Various problems can arise with USB redirection in Horizon Client.
Problem
USB redirection in Horizon Client fails to make local devices available on the remote desktop, or some
devices do not appear to be available for redirection in Horizon Client.
Cause
The following are possible causes for USB redirection failing to function correctly or as expected.
nThe device is a composite USB device and one of the devices it includes is blocked by default. For
example, a dictation device that includes a mouse is blocked by default because mouse devices are
blocked by default. To work around this problem, see "Configuring Device Splitting Policy Settings for
Composite USB Devices" in the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.
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nUSB redirection is not supported on Windows Server 2008 RDS hosts that deploy remote desktops
and applications. USB redirection is supported on Windows Server 2012 RDS hosts with View Agent
6.1 and later, but only for USB storage devices. USB redirection is supported on Windows Server
2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012 R2 systems that are used as single-user desktops.
nOnly USB flash drives and hard disks are supported on RDS desktops and applications. You cannot
redirect other types of USB devices, and other types of USB storage devices such as security storage
drives and USB CD-ROM, to an RDS desktop or application.
nWebcams are not supported for redirection.
nThe redirection of USB audio devices depends on the state of the network and is not reliable. Some
devices require a high data throughput even when they are idle.
nUSB redirection is not supported for boot devices. If you run Horizon Client on a Windows system that
boots from a USB device, and you redirect this device to the remote desktop, the local operating
system might become unresponsive or unusable. See http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1021409.
nBy default, Horizon Client for Windows does not allow you to select keyboard, mouse, smart card and
audio-out devices for redirection. See http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1011600.
nRDP does not support the redirection of USB HIDs for the console session, or of smart card readers.
See http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1011600.
nWindows Mobile Device Center can prevent the redirection of USB devices for RDP sessions. See
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1019205.
nFor some USB HIDs, you must configure the virtual machine to update the position of the mouse
pointer. See http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1022076.
nSome audio devices might require changes to policy settings or to registry settings. See
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1023868.
nNetwork latency can cause slow device interaction or cause applications to appear frozen because
they are designed to interact with local devices. Very large USB disk drives might take several
minutes to appear in Windows Explorer.
nUSB flash cards formatted with the FAT32 file system are slow to load. See
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1022836.
nA process or service on the local system opened the device before you connected to the remote
desktop or application.
nA redirected USB device stops working if you reconnect a desktop or application session even if the
desktop or application shows that the device is available.
nUSB redirection is disabled in Horizon Administrator.
nMissing or disabled USB redirection drivers on the guest.
Solution
nIf available, use PCoIP instead of RDP as the protocol.
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nIf a redirected device remains unavailable or stops working after a temporary disconnection, remove
the device, plug it in again, and retry the redirection.
nIn Horizon Administrator, go to Policies > Global Policies, and verify that USB access is set to
Allow under View Policies.
nExamine the log on the guest for entries of class ws_vhub, and the log on the client for entries of
class vmware-view-usbd.
Entries with these classes are written to the logs if a user is not an administrator, or if the USB
redirection drivers are not installed or are not working. For the location of these log files, see "Using
Log Files for Troubleshooting and to Determine USB Device IDs" in the Configuring Remote Desktop
Features in Horizon 7 document.
nOpen the Device Manager on the guest, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers, and reinstall the
VMware View Virtual USB Host Controller and VMware View Virtual USB Hub drivers if these drivers
are missing or re-enable them if they are disabled.
Manage Machines and Policies for Unentitled Users
You can display the machines that are allocated to users whose entitlement has been removed, and you
can also display the policies that have been applied to unentitled users.
A user who is unentitled might have left the organization permanently, or you might have suspended their
account for an extended period of time. These users are assigned a machine but they are no longer
entitled to use the machine pool.
You can also use the vdmadmin command with the -O or -P option to display unentitled machines and
policies. For more information, see the View Administration document.
Procedure
1In View Administrator, select Resources > Machines.
2Select More Commands > View Unentitled Machines.
3Remove the machine assignments for unentitled users.
4Select More Commands > View Unentitled Machines or More Commands > View Unentitled
Policies as appropriate.
5Change or remove the policies that are applied to unentitled users.
Resolving Database Inconsistencies with the ViewDbChk
Command
With the ViewDbChk command, you can resolve inconsistencies in the databases that store information
about desktop virtual machines in an automated desktop pool and RDS hosts in an automated farm.
In a View environment, information about desktop virtual machines and RDS hosts in an automated farm
is stored in the following places:
nThe LDAP database
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nThe vCenter Server database
nFor View Composer linked-clone machines only: the View Composer database
Normally, you can recover from an error that occurs during provisioning or other operations by removing
or resetting a desktop virtual machine or an RDS host using View Administrator. On rare occasions, the
information in the different databases about a machine that is in an error state might become inconsistent
and it is not possible to recover from the error using View Administrator. You might see one of the
following symptoms:
nProvisioning fails with the error message Virtual machine with Input Specification already
exists.
nRecomposing a desktop pool fails with the error message Desktop Composer Fault: Virtual
Machine with Input Specification already exists.
nView Administrator shows that a desktop machine or an RDS host is stuck in a deleting state.
nYou cannot delete a desktop pool or an automated farm.
nYou cannot delete a desktop machine or an RDS host.
nIn View Administrator's Inventory tab, the status of a desktop machine or an RDS host is missing.
In situations where database inconsistencies cause a desktop machine or an RDS host to be in an
unrecoverable error state or prevent a View Administrator task from completing successfully, you can use
the ViewDbChk command to resolve the inconsistencies. The ViewDbChk command has the following
characteristics:
nViewDbChk is automatically installed when you install View Standard Server or View Replica Server.
The utility is not installed when you install View Security Server.
nViewDbChk is a command that you can run from the Windows Command Prompt or from a script.
nViewDbChk supports automated farms and automated desktop pools of full virtual machines as well
as View Composer linked clones.
nWhen you want to remove a machine, ViewDbChk performs a health check on the machine and
prompts you for additional confirmation if the machine looks healthy.
nViewDbChk can delete erroneous or incomplete LDAP entries.
nViewDbChk supports input and output using I18N character sets.
nViewDbChk does not remove user data. For a full desktop virtual machine, ViewDbChk removes the
virtual machine from inventory but does not delete it from disk. For a linked-clone desktop virtual
machine, ViewDbChk deletes the virtual machine and archives the user disks to the root folder in the
case of VMFS datastores or to a sub-folder named archiveUDD in the case of Virtual SAN and Virtual
Volumes datastores.
nViewDbChk does not support unmanaged desktop machines or RDS hosts in a manual farm.
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ViewDbChk Syntax
ViewDbChk --findDesktop --desktopName <desktop pool or farm name> [--verbose]
ViewDbChk --enableDesktop --desktopName <desktop pool or farm name> [--verbose]
ViewDbChk --disableDesktop --desktopName <desktop pool or farm name> [--verbose]
ViewDbChk --findMachine --desktopName <desktop pool or farm name> --machineName <machine name> [--
verbose]
ViewDbChk --removeMachine --machineName <machine name> [--desktopName <desktop pool or farm name>] [--
force] [--noErrorCheck] [--verbose]
ViewDbChk --scanMachines [--desktopName <desktop pool or farm name>] [--limit <maximum deletes>] [--
force] [--verbose]
ViewDbChk --help [--commandName] [--verbose]
ViewDbChk Parameters
Parameter Description
--findDesktop Finds a desktop pool or farm.
--enableDesktop Enables a desktop pool or farm.
--disableDesktop Disables a desktop pool or farm.
--findMachine Finds a machine.
--removeMachine Removes a machine from a desktop pool or farm. Before removing a machine, ViewDbChk
prompts the user to disable the desktop pool or farm. After removing the machine, ViewDbChk
prompts the user to re-enable the desktop pool or farm.
--scanMachines Searches for machines that are in an error or cloneerror state or have missing virtual machines,
lists the problem machines grouped by desktop pool or farm, and gives the option to remove the
machines. Before removing a machine, ViewDbChk prompts the user to disable the desktop
pool or farm. After removing all erroneous machines in a desktop pool or farm, ViewDbChk
prompts the user to re-enable the desktop pool or farm.
--help Displays the syntax of ViewDbChk.
--desktopName <desktop name> Specifies the desktop pool or farm name.
--machineName <machine
name>
Specifies the machine name.
--limit <maximum deletes> Limits the number of machines that ViewDbChk can remove. The default is 1.
--force Forces machine removal without user confirmation.
--noErrorCheck Forces the removal of machines that have no errors.
--verbose Enables verbose logging.
Note All the parameter names are case-sensitive.
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ViewDbChk Usage Example
A desktop machine named lc-pool2-2 is in an error state and we cannot remove it using View
Administrator. We use ViewDbChk to remove it from the View environment.
C:\>viewdbchk --removeMachine --machineName lc-pool2-2
Looking for desktop pool "lc-pool2" in LDAP...
Desktop Pool Name: lc-pool2
Desktop Pool Type: AUTO_LC_TYPE
VM Folder: /vdi/vm/lc-pool2/
Desktop Pool Disabled: false
Desktop Pool Provisioning Enabled: true
Looking for machine "/vdi/vm/lc-pool2/lc-pool2-2" in vCenter...
Connecting to vCenter "https://10.133.17.3:443/sdk". This may take some time...
Checking connectivity...
Connecting to View Composer "https://10.133.17.3:18443". This may take some time...
The desktop pool "lc-pool2" must be disabled before proceeding. Do you want to disable the desktop
pool? (yes/no):yes
Found machine "lc-pool2-2"
VM Name: lc-pool2-2
Creation Date: 1/25/15 1:20:26 PM PST
MOID: vm-236
Clone Id: b12a9ed2-8535-44ee-a9d6-6c9b5cf6f878
VM Folder: /vdi/vm/lc-pool2/lc-pool2-2
VM State: ERROR
Do you want to remove the desktop machine "lc-pool2-2"? (yes/no):yes
Shutting down VM "/vdi/vm/lc-pool2/lc-pool2-2"...
Archiving persistent disks...
Destroying View Composer clone "b12a9ed2-8535-44ee-a9d6-6c9b5cf6f878"...
Removing ThinApp entitlements for machine "/vdi/vm/lc-pool2/lc-pool2-2"...
Removing machine "/vdi/vm/lc-pool2/lc-pool2-2" from LDAP...
Running delete VM scripts for machine "/vdi/vm/lc-pool2/lc-pool2-2"...
Do you want to enable the desktop pool "lc-pool2"? (yes/no):yes
Further Troubleshooting Information
You can find further troubleshooting information in VMware Knowledge Base articles.
The VMware Knowledge Base (KB) is continually updated with new troubleshooting information for
VMware products.
For more information about troubleshooting View, see the KB articles that are available on the VMware
KB Web site:
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/microsite.do
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