You create VDI desktop assignments from the Assignments page.

Use these steps to assign a dedicated or floating VDI desktop to your end users. To assign a session-based (RDSH) desktop, see the steps in Create an RDSH Session Desktop Assignment.

Procedure

  1. Click Assignments in the left menu.
    The Assignments page displays.
  2. Click New.
  3. Click the Get Started button under Desktops.
    The Assign Desktops dialog box displays.
  4. Select either Dedicated or Floating to create an assignment for a VDI desktop. For information on types of desktop assignments see Types of Assignments. For the steps on creating a session-based desktop, see Create an RDSH Session Desktop Assignment.
    Note: There is some variation in the text boxes displayed on the screen, depending on the type of desktop assignment you are creating. These variations are noted in the following steps.
  5. Enter information for Fixed Attributes.
    Option Description
    Pod This option only displays if the data center is configured with multiple pods. You can only create assignments from images in the same pod.
    Desktop Model Select model from the drop-down menu.
    CPU
    • If you selected a custom desktop model, you can select a CPU value from the drop-down menu.
    • If you selected a fixed desktop model, the value is not editable.
    Memory
    • If you selected a custom desktop model, you can select a Memory value from the drop-down menu.
    • If you selected a fixed desktop model, the value is not editable.
    Domain [Traditional Clone images only] Select domain from the drop-down menu.
    Join Domain [Traditional Clone images only] Leave default setting (Yes).
  6. Enter information for the Flexible Attributes displayed.
    Option Description
    Image Select an image from the list.
    • In the list, the acronym for the image type appears at the beginning of the image name. For example, '[IC] image1' is an Instant clone image and '[TC] image 2' is a Traditional Clone image.
    • For dedicated and floating desktop assignments, RDSH role-enabled images are not listed, since there is no reason for users to create dedicated or floating desktop assignments from those images. RDSH role-enabled images are used for session desktop assignments.
    Assignment Name A unique name for the new assignment.
    VM Names Name for all virtual machines or guest desktops in this assignment, which has a number appended to it, for example, win7-1, win7-2, win7-Floating. The name must start with a letter and can contain only letters, dashes, and numbers. This value is prefilled based on the assignment name.
    Default Protocol Select Blast (HTML Access) or PCoIP.
    Preferred Client Type Select Browser or Horizon Client.
    Capacity Number of desktops in the assignment. Capacity remaining is indicated to the right of the text box.
    Note: If the remaining capacity displayed appears to be too low, it might be because the default limit of 2,000 desktops per pod has been reached. This limit includes VMs created in earlier versions of the product, but does not include Utility or Imported desktops. For more information, contact your VMware representative.
  7. Under Flexible Attributes, expand Advanced Properties and enter required information.
    Option Description
    Computer OU Active Directory (AD) Organizational Unit where VMs are located. For example, OU=NestedOrgName,OU=RootOrgName,DC=DomainComponent,DC=eng, and so on. The entries must be comma-separated with no spaces in between. For more information about Active Directory, see Working with Nested Organizational Units.
    Note: For traditional clones, if the Computer OU is set to 'CN=Computers' the system uses the default Active Directory 'Computers' container for VMs. This default container might have been redirected to an organizational unit class container.
    Run Once Script (Optional) Location of a script to run after the VM creation process.
    Note: The script should end with a reboot step to reboot the VM. A sample reboot line as a Windows command is: 
    shutdown /r /t 0

    The script is run after the Microsoft Windows System Preparation (Sysprep) process. When the system creates a VM for the farm, the VM starts up and completes the Sysprep process in the Windows operating system. When the Sysprep process completes, the agent in the VM reaches out to do the domain join. At the same time, the agent gets the script path you specify here. The agent sets the Windows RunOnce path (System run once) and then restarts the VM. On the next restart, the system logs in to the Windows operating system using the local administrator account and runs the script.

    Max Desktop Deletions (Dedicated Desktop assignments only) This sets the number of desktop VMs that can be deleted in the assignment before counting them against the rate you set for Dedicated Desktops (Desktops per Assignment per Hour) on the Settings > General Settings page. Select one of the following options from the drop-down menu.
    • Unlimited - Unlimited desktop VMs can be deleted from the assignment. In this case, the Dedicated Desktops (Desktops per Assignment per Hour) setting is no longer relevant.
    • None - No additional desktop VMs can be deleted before counting them against the rate you set for Dedicated Desktops (Desktops per Assignment per Hour). In this case, the system uses only the Dedicated Desktops (Desktops per Assignment per Hour) to authorize or block deletions. None is the default value for Dedicated Desktops (Desktops per Assignment per Hour).
    • Custom - Number of additional desktop VMs that can be deleted before counting them against the rate you set for Dedicated Desktops (Desktops per Assignment per Hour). If you select Custom, you must also enter a numerical value to the right of this drop-down menu.

      For example, you might set Max Desktop Deletions to 10 and Dedicated Desktops (Desktops per Assignment per Hour) to 1. In this case, after the first 10 VMs are deleted (no matter how long it takes for the count to reach 10), the system only allows 1 additional VM to be deleted per hour from that time forward.

    Note: If you select Unlimited for Dedicated Desktops (Desktops per Assignment per Hour), there is no need to use the Max Desktop Deletions setting.

    For more information about the Dedicated Desktops (Desktops per Assignment per Hour) setting, see Edit General Settings.

    To prevent all VM deletions in a dedicated desktop assignment, use the Prevent Deletions setting on the Assignments page. See #GUID-EEB57473-6818-4F87-AD5E-B17C64C60834.
    Session Timeout Interval The timeout value for end-user sessions to the desktops. The default is seven days (10,080 minutes). The maximum value is 99,999 minutes, approximately 69 days.
    Note: If no user activity occurs before the timeout interval is reached, a message indicates that the user will be logged off if they do not click OK in the next 30 seconds. If the logout occurs, any unsaved documents are lost.

    If you are assigning a timeout value for dedicated desktops, you can specify the maximum value. If you have a large timeout interval set for floating desktops, the desktops do not reset as quickly if they are not in use. This configuration might result in the pool of available desktops running out, and users seeing failure messages.

    Enable Windows Hot Plug

    This setting enables/deactivates the HotPlug functionality for desktops in an assignment. When this is set to No (default setting), network adapters do not appear in the Quick Add/Remove area. This makes it more difficult for users to put their VMs into an unusable state.

  8. Click Next.
  9. On the Users step, select tenant from the drop-down menu and then start entering the name of a user or group from your Active Directory.
  10. Select a user or group from the list.
    Note: Do not select an OU. Selecting an OU will cause users to be unable to connect to desktops.
  11. (Optional) Search for and select additional users or groups, and click Next.
    If you assign a dedicated desktop to more than one user, a warning message appears to verify if this is the intended configuration. The configuration is supported, but the users share the desktop and only one can use it at any one time.
  12. On the Summary step, confirm that the displayed information is correct and click Submit.
  13. Click the Assign icon to see your new assignment.