6.0.2

A parent virtual machine that you use for View Composer must either belong to the same Active
Directory domain as the domain that the linked-clone machines will join or be a member of the local
WORKGROUP.
IMPORTANT To use features that are supported in View 4.5 or later, such as redirecting disposable data
to a separate disk and customizing linked-clone machines with Sysprep, you must deploy the machines
from a parent virtual machine on which View Agent 4.5 or later is installed.
You cannot use View Composer to deploy machines that run Windows Vista Ultimate Edition or
Windows XP Professional SP1.
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Verify that the virtual machine was not converted from a View Composer linked clone. A virtual
machine that is converted from a linked clone has the clone's internal disk and state information. A
parent virtual machine cannot have state information.
IMPORTANT Linked clones and virtual machines that were converted from linked clones are not
supported as parent virtual machines.
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If the parent virtual machine runs Windows XP, and your Active Directory runs on Windows Server
2008, apply an update patch on the Windows XP virtual machine. See the Microsoft Support Article
944043 at the following location: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/944043/en-us.
If you do not install the Windows Server 2008 read-only domain controller (RODC) compatibility pack
for Windows XP, linked clones that are deployed from this parent virtual machine fail to join the
domain.
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When you install View Agent on the parent virtual machine, select the View Composer Agent option.
See “Install View Agent on a Virtual Machine,” on page 26.
To update View Agent in a large environment, you can use standard Windows update mechanisms
such as Altiris, SMS, LanDesk, BMC, or other systems management software. You can also use the
recompose operation to update View Agent.
NOTE Do not change the log on account for the VMware View Composer Guest Agent Server service in
a parent virtual machine. By default, this is the Local System account. If you change this account, the
linked clones created from the parent do not start.
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To deploy machines that run Windows 8, Windows 7, or Windows Vista, configure a volume license
key and activate the parent virtual machine's operating system with volume activation. See “Activating
Windows on Linked-Clone Virtual Machines,” on page 48.
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If the parent virtual machine runs Windows 7 or Windows 8, verify that you followed the best practices
for optimizing the operating system. See “Optimizing Windows 7 and Windows 8 for Linked-Clone
Virtual Machines,” on page 38.
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Familiarize yourself with the procedure for disabling searching Windows Update for device drivers.
See the Microsoft Technet article, "Disable Searching Windows Update for Device Drivers" at
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc730606(v=ws.10).aspx.
Procedure
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Remove the DHCP lease on the parent virtual machine to avoid copying a leased IP address to the
linked clones in the pool.
a On the parent virtual machine, open a command prompt.
b Type the ipconfig /release command.
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
46 VMware, Inc.