Specifications

VMware, Inc. 137
Chapter 6 View Composer
Using QuickPrep for Linked Clone Desktop Deployment
QuickPrepisasystemtoolexecutedbyViewComposerduringlinkedclonedesktop
deployment.QuickPreppersonalizeseachdesktopcreatedfromtheParentVM.
Duringtheinitialstartupofeachnewdesktop,QuickPrepensuresthatthesystemis
givenanewname(specifiedduringthedeploymentprocess)andisjoinedtothe

appropriatedomain.QuickPrepisalsousedtomountthenewvolumethatwillcontain
theuserprofileinformation.Thesestepsrequirethelinkedclonestoberestartedtwice.
Inaddition,anewcomputeraccountcorrespondingtoeachdesktopiscreatedby
QuickPrepontheActiveDirectorydomaincontroller.Theseevents
alsotakeplaceafter
adesktoprefresh.
YoumustcreateadomainuseraccountinActiveDirectorytobeusedbytheView
Composerservice.ViewComposerrequiresthisaccounttojoinlinkedclonedesktops
tothedomain.YouspecifythedomainuseraccountwhenyouconfigureView
ComposerforvCenter
Serverandwhenyouconfigureanddeploylinkedclonedesktop
pools.AddtheCreateComputerObjectsandDeleteComputerObjectspermissionsto
thedomainuseraccountinActiveDirectory.Thesepermissionsallowtheusertoadd
andremovecomputerobjectsinaspecifiedActiveDirectorycontainer.Youshould
createadomain
useraccountspecificallyforViewComposer.Youcanuseanexisting
domainuseraccount,butitisbettertouseauniqueaccount.
Afteradesktopiscreated,refreshed,orrecomposed,auser‐definedcustomization
scriptcanberunoneachresynchronizeddesktoptocarryoutadditionaloperations.A
scriptcan
alsoberunondesktopsimmediatelybeforetheyarepoweredoff.Youcan
providethepathtoeachtypeofscript(whichmustresideontheParentVM)duringthe
finalstageoftheinitiallinkedclonedesktopdeployment.QuickPrepisresponsiblefor
ensuringthatthesescriptsareexecutedduring
eitherscenario.
Preparing vCenter Server for View Composer
Beforecarryingoutalinkedclonedesktopdeploymentyoumustconfigurethe
VMwarevCenterServertoprepareitforcreatingreplicasandlinkedclonedesktops
fromaParentVMusingtheViewComposerservice.
 TheViewComposerservicemustbeinstalledlocallyonthevCenterServer.
 Youcandeployalinked‐clonedesktoppoolonaclusterthatcontainsESX/ESXi4
hostsmixedwithESX/ESXi3.5hosts,untilyousetvSpheremode.
 YourActiveDirectoryadministratormustcreateauserwiththerequisitelevelof
authoritytobeusedbytheViewComposerservicetocreatelinkedclonedesktops
andaddthemtoyourdomain.See“UsingQuickPrepforLinkedCloneDesktop
Deployment”onpage 137.