6.2

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 any
responsibility for issues that might arise when you use the sample scripts.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“Overview of Bulk Deployment of Linux Desktops,” on page 33
n
“Create a Virtual Machine Template for Cloning Linux Desktop Machines,” on page 34
n
“Input File for the Sample PowerCLI Scripts to Deploy Linux Desktops,” on page 35
n
“Sample PowerCLI Script to Clone Linux Desktop Machines,” on page 36
n
“Sample PowerCLI Script to Install View Agent on Linux Desktops,” on page 39
n
“Sample PowerCLI Script to Upgrade View Agent on Linux Desktop Machines,” on page 43
n
“Sample PowerCLI Script to Perform Operations on Linux Desktop Machines,” on page 47
n
“Sample PowerShell Script to Delete Machines from the Connection Server LDAP Database,” on
page 50
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 34.
2 Create a guest customization specification.
VMware, Inc.
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