5.2

Create a Manual Desktop Pool
You can create a manual desktop pool that provisions desktops from existing virtual machines, physical
computers, and HP Blade PCs. You must select the desktop sources that make up View desktops in the pool.
For manual pools with desktops that are managed by vCenter Server, View Manager ensures that a spare
desktop
is powered on so that users can connect to it. The spare desktop is powered on no matter which power
policy is in effect.
Prerequisites
n
Prepare the desktop sources to deliver View desktop access. In a manual pool, you must prepare each
desktop source individually. View Agent must be installed and running on each desktop source.
To prepare virtual machines managed by vCenter Server, see Chapter 4, “Creating and Preparing Virtual
Machines,” on page 59.
To prepare unmanaged virtual machines, physical computers, and Blade PCs, see Chapter 3, “Preparing
Unmanaged Desktop Sources,” on page 55.
n
Gather the configuration information that you must provide to create the pool. See “Worksheet for
Creating a Manual Desktop Pool,” on page 120.
n
Decide how to configure power settings, display protocol, Adobe Flash quality, and other settings. See
“Desktop and Pool Settings,” on page 132.
Procedure
1 In View Administrator, click Inventory > Pools.
2 Click Add.
3 Select Manual Pool.
4 Follow the prompts in the wizard to create the pool.
Use the configuration information that you gathered in the worksheet. You can go directly back to any
wizard page that you completed by clicking the page name in the navigation panel.
In View Administrator, you can view the desktops as they are added to the pool by clicking Inventory >
Desktops.
What to do next
Entitle users to access the pool. See “Add Entitlements to Desktop Pools,” on page 149.
Create a Manual Pool That Contains One Desktop
You can create a pool that contains a single desktop when a user requires a unique, dedicated desktop, or when,
at different times, multiple users must access a costly application with a single-host license.
You can provision an individual View desktop in its own pool by creating a manual desktop pool and selecting
a single desktop source.
To mimic a physical computer that can be shared by multiple users, specify a floating assignment for the users
entitled to access the pool.
Whether you configure the single-desktop pool with dedicated or floating assignment, power operations are
initiated by session management. The virtual machine is powered on when a user requests the desktop and
powered off or suspended when the user logs off.
If you configure the Ensure desktops are always powered on policy, the virtual machine remains powered
on. If the user shuts down the virtual machine, it immediately restarts.
Chapter 5 Creating Desktop Pools
VMware, Inc. 121