Horizon 8 creates the instant-clone desktop virtual machines (VMs) based on the settings that you specify when you create the pool.

Prerequisites

  • Verify 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.
  • Verify that you have the golden image ready. For more information, see Creating a Virtual Machine for Cloning.
    Note: You cannot create an instant-clone desktop pool from a VM template. You must first convert the VM template to a VM.
  • Gather the configuration information for the pool. See Worksheet for Creating an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool.
  • Verify that you added an instant-clone domain administrator in Horizon Console. See "Add an Instant-Clone Domain Administrator" in the Horizon Installation document.
  • Before creating an instant-clone desktop pool, take a snapshot of the golden image. You must shut down the golden image in vCenter Server before taking the snapshot.

Procedure

  1. In Horizon Console, select Inventory > Desktops.
  2. Click Add.
  3. Select Automated Desktop Pool and click Next.
  4. Select Instant Clones, select the vCenter Server instance, and click Next.
  5. Follow 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.
    Note: If you are a VMware Carbon Black customer and select a golden image configured with Carbon Black for the new pool, then the screen displays information from the Carbon Black Scan for each snapshot listed.
    • If you select the Show All Images check box, the list might include snapshots that are not compatible and cannot be selected.
    • If no value appears in the Carbon Black Scan (% Complete) column, that indicates that the Carbon Black sensor was not enabled in the Instant Clone golden image when the snapshot was taken. For more information, see the VMware Carbon Black Cloud Documentation.

What to do next

Entitle users to access the pool. See "Entitling Users and Groups" in the Horizon Administration document.