6.1

Table Of Contents
What to do next
Take a snapshot of the parent virtual machine and create a linked-clone pool.
Creating Virtual Machine Templates
You must create a virtual machine template before you can create an automated pool that contains full
virtual machines.
A virtual machine template is a master copy of a virtual machine that can be used to create and provision
new virtual machines. Typically, a template includes an installed guest operating system and a set of
applications.
You create virtual machine templates in vSphere Client. You can create a virtual machine template from a
previously configured virtual machine, or you can convert a previously configured virtual machine to a
virtual machine template.
See the vSphere Basic System Administration guide for information on using vSphere Client to create virtual
machine templates. See “Automated Pools That Contain Full Virtual Machines,” on page 53 for
information on creating automated pools.
NOTE You do not create a linked-clone pool from a virtual machine template.
Creating Customization Specifications
Customization specifications are optional, but they can greatly expedite automated pool deployments by
providing configuration information for general properties such as licensing, domain attachment, and
DHCP settings.
With customization specifications, you can customize remote desktops as they are created in View
Administrator. You create new customization specifications by using the Customization Specification
wizard in vSphere Client. You can also use the Customization Specification wizard to import existing
custom sysprep.ini files.
See the vSphere Virtual Machine Administration document for information on using the Customization
Specification wizard.
Make sure that the customization specifications are accurate before you use them in View Administrator. In
vSphere Client, deploy and customize a virtual machine from your template using the customization
specifications. Fully test the virtual machine, including DHCP and authentication, before you create remote
desktops.
NOTE You do not have to install Sysprep tools in vCenter Server for desktop pools that use Windows 8 or
Windows 7. Sysprep tools are built into these operating systems.
When you use a Sysprep customization specification to join a Windows 8 or Windows 7 desktop to a
domain, you must use the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the Active Directory domain. You cannot
use the NetBIOS name of the Active Directory domain.
Chapter 3 Creating and Preparing Virtual Machines
VMware, Inc. 51