6.1.1

Bulk Deployment of Horizon 6 for
Linux Desktops 3
With View Administrator, you can create a pool of Windows, but not Linux, desktop machines
automatically. With vSphere PowerCLI, you can develop scripts that automate the deployment of a pool of
Linux desktop machines.
The sample scripts that are provided are for illustration purposes only. VMware does not accept
responsibility for issues that might arise when you use and enhance the sample scripts.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“Overview of Bulk Deployment of Linux Desktops,” on page 23
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“Create a Virtual Machine Template for Cloning Linux Desktop Machines,” on page 24
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“Input File for the Sample PowerCLI Scripts to Deploy Linux Desktops,” on page 25
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“Sample PowerCLI Script to Clone Linux Desktop Machines,” on page 25
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“Sample PowerCLI Script to Install View Agent on Linux Desktops,” on page 29
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“Sample PowerCLI Script to Uninstall View Agent on Linux Desktops,” on page 32
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“Sample PowerCLI Script to Perform Operations on Linux Desktop Machines,” on page 35
Overview of Bulk Deployment of Linux Desktops
Deploying Linux desktops involve several steps. If you plan to deploy more than a few desktops, you can
automate some of the steps by using PowerCLI scripts.
For more information about vSphere PowerCLI, see
https://www.vmware.com/support/developer/PowerCLI.
The process of bulk deploying a pool of Linux desktops involves the following steps:
1 Create a virtual machine template.
See “Create a Virtual Machine Template for Cloning Linux Desktop Machines,” on page 24.
2 Create a guest customization specification.
See "Create a Customization Specification for Linux in the vSphere Web Client" in the vSphere Virtual
Machine Administration document. When you create the specification, make sure that you specify the
following settings correctly.
Setting Value
Target Virtual Machine OS Linux
Computer Name Use the virtual machine name.
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