Administration

An original persistent disk has a filename with a user-disk label: desktop_name-vdm-user-disk-D-ID.vmdk.
An original disposable-data disk has a filename with a disposable label: desktop_name-vdm-disposable-
ID.vmdk.
After a rebalance operation moves a linked clone to a new datastore, vCenter Server uses a common
filename syntax for both types of disks: desktop_name_n.vmdk.
Manage View Composer Persistent Disks
You can detach a View Composer persistent disk from a linked-clone virtual machine and attach it to
another linked clone. This feature lets you manage user information separately from linked-clone virtual
machines.
View Composer Persistent Disks
With View Composer, you can configure OS data and user information on separate disks in linked-clone
virtual machines. View Composer preserves the user information on the persistent disk when the OS data is
updated, refreshed, or rebalanced.
A View Composer persistent disk contains user settings and other user-generated data. You create
persistent disks when you create a linked-clone desktop pool. See "Worksheet for Creating a Linked-Clone
Desktop Pool" in the Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View document.
You can detach a persistent disk from its linked-clone virtual machine and store the disk on its original
datastore or another datastore. After you detach the disk, the linked-clone virtual machine is deleted. A
detached persistent disk is no longer associated with any virtual machine.
You can use several methods to attach a detached persistent disk to another linked-clone virtual machine.
This flexibility has several uses:
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When a linked clone is deleted, you can preserve the user data.
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When an employee leaves the company, another employee can access the departing employee's user
data.
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A user who has multiple remote desktops can consolidate the user data on a single remote desktop.
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If a virtual machine becomes inaccessible in vCenter Server, but the persistent disk is intact, you can
import the persistent disk and create a new linked clone using the disk.
NOTE Persistent disks must be reconnected to the operating system that was used when they were created.
For example, you cannot detach a persistent disk from a Windows 7 linked clone and recreate or attach the
persistent disk to a Windows 8 linked clone.
View can manage persistent disks from linked-clone pools that were created in View 4.5 or later. Persistent
disks that were created in earlier versions of View cannot be managed and do not appear on the Persistent
Disks page in View Administrator.
Detach a View Composer Persistent Disk
When you detach a View Composer persistent disk from a linked-clone virtual machine, the disk is stored
and the linked clone is deleted. By detaching a persistent disk, you can store and reuse user-specific
information with another virtual machine.
Procedure
1 In View Administrator, select Resources > Persistent Disks.
2 Select the persistent disk to detach and click Detach.
View Administration
134 VMware, Inc.