Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View

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If applicable, consider storing desktops on local ESXi datastores. This strategy can offer advantages
such as inexpensive hardware, fast virtual-machine provisioning, high-performance power operations,
and simple management. For a list of the limitations, see “Storing Linked Clones on Local Datastores,”
on page 210.
NOTE For information about other types of storage options, see Chapter 15, “Reducing and Managing
Storage Requirements,” on page 197.
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Use the Persona Management feature so that users always have their preferred desktop appearance and
application settings, as with Windows user profiles. If you do not have the desktops set to be refreshed
or deleted at logoff, you can configure the persona to be removed at logoff.
IMPORTANT View Persona Management facilitates implementing a floating-assignment pool for those users
who want to retain settings between sessions. Previously, one of the limitations of floating-assignment
desktops was that when end users logged off, they lost all their configuration settings and any data stored in
the remote desktop.
Each time end users logged on, their desktop background was set to the default wallpaper, and they would
have to configure each application's preferences again. With View Persona Management, an end user of a
floating-assignment desktop cannot tell the difference between their session and a session on a dedicated-
assignment desktop.
Pools for Knowledge Workers and Power Users
Knowledge workers must be able to create complex documents and have them persist on the desktop.
Power users must be able to install their own applications and have them persist. Depending on the nature
and amount of personal data that must be retained, the desktop can be stateful or stateless.
Because power users and knowledge workers, such as accountants, sales managers, marketing research
analysts, must be able to create and retain documents and settings, you create dedicated-assignment
desktops for them. For knowledge workers who do not need user-installed applications except for
temporary use, you can create stateless desktop images and save all their personal data outside of the virtual
machine, on a file server or in an application database. For other knowledge workers and for power users,
you can create stateful desktop images. Use the following pool settings:
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Use dedicated assignment pools so that each knowledge worker or power user logs in to the same
desktop every time.
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Use the Persona Management feature so that users always have their preferred desktop appearance and
application settings, as with Windows user profiles.
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Use vStorage thin provisioning so that at first, each desktop uses only as much storage space as the disk
needs for its initial operation.
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For power users and knowledge workers who must install their own applications, which adds data to
the operating system disk, create full virtual machine desktops. Use Mirage to deploy and update
applications without overwriting user-installed applications.
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If knowledge workers do not require user-installed applications except for temporary use, you can
create View Composer linked-clone desktops. The desktop images share the same base image and use
less storage space than full virtual machines.
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If you use View Composer with vSphere 5.1 or later virtual desktops, enable the space reclamation
feature for vCenter Server and for the desktop pool. With the space reclamation feature, stale or deleted
data within a guest operating system is automatically reclaimed with a wipe and shrink process.
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
12 VMware, Inc.