4.5

You can schedule only one recomposition at a time for a given set of linked clones. Before you can schedule
a
new recomposition, you must cancel any previously scheduled task or wait until the previous operation
is completed. Before you can start a new recomposition immediately, you must cancel any previously
scheduled task.
You can schedule multiple recompositions if they affect different linked clones.
n
You can recompose selected linked clones or all linked clones in a desktop pool.
n
When different linked clones in a pool are derived from different snapshots of the base image or from
different base images, the pool includes more than one replica.
n
You cannot recompose desktops that are running in local mode. Local desktops must be checked in or
rolled back to the datacenter before a recompose operation can take place.
n
A recomposition can only occur when users are logged off of their View desktops.
n
You cannot recompose linked clones that use one operating system to a new or updated parent virtual
machine that uses a different operating system.
n
You cannot recompose Windows 7 linked clones that use one OS disk controller to a new or updated
parent virtual machine that uses a different OS disk controller.
NOTE If you used a Sysprep customization specification to customize the linked clones when you created the
desktop pool, new SIDs might be generated for the recomposed virtual machines. For details, see
“Recomposing Linked Clones Customized with Sysprep,” on page 85.
Correcting an Unsuccessful Recomposition
You can correct a recomposition that failed. You can also take action if you accidentally recompose linked
clones using a different base image than the one you intended to use.
Problem
The desktops are in an erroneous or outdated state as a result of an unsuccessful recomposition.
Cause
A system failure or problem might have occurred on the vCenter Server host, in vCenter Server, or on a
datastore during the recomposition.
Alternatively,
the recomposition might have used a virtual-machine snapshot with a different operating system
than the operating system of the original parent virtual machine. For example, you might have used a Windows
7 snapshot to recompose Windows XP linked clones.
Solution
1 Select the snapshot that was used in the last successful recomposition.
You can also select a new snapshot to update the linked clones to a new state.
The snapshot must use the same operating system as the original parent virtual machine's snapshot.
2 Recompose the pool again.
View Composer creates a base image from the snapshot and recreates the linked-clone OS disks.
View Composer persistent disks that contain user data and settings are preserved during the
recomposition.
Chapter 9 Managing Linked-Clone Desktops
VMware, Inc. 167