You must create a virtual machine template before you can create an automated pool that contains full-clone virtual machines.

A virtual machine template is a main copy of a virtual machine that can be used to create and provision new virtual machines. Typically, a template includes an installed guest operating system and a set of applications.

You create virtual machine templates in vSphere Client. You can create a virtual machine template from a previously configured virtual machine, or you can convert a previously configured virtual machine to a virtual machine template.

For information on using vSphere Client to create virtual machine templates, see the vSphere Virtual Machine Administration guide on the VMware vSphere Documentation portal. For information on creating a full-clone desktop pool, see Create an Automated Full-Clone Linux Desktop Pool.

Note: A virtual machine template is not for creating an instant-clone desktop pool.