You can create an automated desktop pool based on a virtual machine template that you select. Horizon 8 dynamically deploys the desktops, creating a new virtual machine in vCenter Server for each desktop.

Prerequisites

  • Prepare a virtual machine template that Horizon 8 will use to create the machines. Horizon Agent must be installed on the template. See Creating and Preparing a Virtual Machine for Cloning.
  • If 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.

  • Verify 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.

  • Gather the configuration information you must provide to create the pool. See Worksheet for Creating an Automated Full-Clone Desktop Pool.
  • If you intend to provide access to your desktops and applications through VMware Workspace ONE Access, 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 Workspace ONE Access will not recognize the SAML authenticator you configure in Horizon 8, and you cannot configure the pool in VMware Workspace ONE Access.

Procedure

  1. In Horizon Console, select Inventory > Desktops.
  2. Click Add.
  3. Select Automated Desktop Pool and click Next.
  4. Select Full Virtual Machines, 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.

What to do next

Entitle users to access the pool. See "Entitling Users and Groups" in the Horizon 8 Administration document.