Creating and Preparing a Virtual Machine for Cloning

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 is used to spawn cloned virtual desktops. For instant-clone desktop pools, the base image is called a golden image. For full-clone desktop pools, the base image is called a Template Virtual Machine.

This chapter is applicable if you are utilizing vSphere to create automated or manual desktop pools of virtual machines. For more information about preparing non-vSphere machines for use in manual desktop pools, see Creating and Managing Manual Desktop Pools.

For information about preparing machines that are used as Remote Desktop Services (RDS) hosts, see the Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon guide.

For information about preparing Linux VMs for remote desktop deployment, see the Setting Up Linux Desktops in Horizon guide.