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

• Prepare the machine to deliver remote desktop access. Horizon Agent must be installed and running on the machine.

  To prepare a virtual machine managed by vCenter Server, see Creating and Preparing a Virtual Machine for Cloning.

  To prepare an unmanaged virtual machine or physical computer, see Preparing Unmanaged Machines.

• Gather the configuration information you must provide to create the manual pool. See Worksheet for Creating a Manual Desktop Pool.
• Decide how to configure power settings, display protocol, and other settings. See Desktop Pool Settings for All Desktop Pool Types.

Procedure

1. In Horizon Administrator, select Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2. Click Add.
3. Select Manual Desktop Pool.
4. Select 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.

5. On the Machine Source page, select the machine to be included in the desktop pool.
6. Follow 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.

Results

In Horizon Administrator, you can see 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.