4.5

Table Of Contents
Naming Desktops Manually or Providing a Naming Pattern
You can provision the desktops in an automated pool by manually specifying a list of desktop names or by
providing a naming pattern and the number of desktops you want in the pool. These two approaches offer
different advantages.
If
you name desktops by specifying a list, you can use your company's naming scheme, and you can associate
each desktop name with a user.
If you provide a naming pattern, View Manager can dynamically create and assign desktops as users need
them.
You must use one of these naming methods to provision automated pools that contain full virtual machines
or linked clones.
Table 5-16 compares the two naming methods, showing how each method affects the way you create and
administer a desktop pool.
Table 5-16. Naming Desktops Manually or Providing a Desktop-Naming Pattern
Feature
Providing a Desktop-Naming Pattern Naming Desktops Manually
Desktop names View Manager generates desktop names.
You provide a naming pattern. View
Manager adds a unique number to identify
each desktop.
For details, see “Using a Naming Pattern
for Automated Desktop Pools,” on
page 101.
You specify a list of desktop names.
In a dedicated-assignment pool, you
can pair users with desktops by listing
user names with the desktop names.
For details, see “Specify a List of
Desktop Names,” on page 100.
Pool size You specify a maximum number of
desktops.
Your list of desktop names determines
the number of desktops.
To add desktops to the pool You can increase the maximum pool size. You can add desktop names to the list.
For details, see “Add Desktops to an
Automated Pool Provisioned by a List
of Names,” on page 177.
On-demand provisioning Available.
View Manager can create and provision a
desktop for a user when the user first logs
in.
View Manager can also create and
provision all the desktops when you create
the pool.
Not available.
View Manager creates and provisions
all the desktops that you specify in your
list when the pool is created.
Initial customization Available.
When a desktop is provisioned, View
Manager can run a customization
specification that you select.
Available.
When a desktop is provisioned, View
Manager can run a customization
specification that you select.
Manual customization of dedicated
desktops
To customize desktops and return desktop
access to your users, you must remove and
reassign the ownership of each desktop.
Depending on whether you assign
desktops on first log in, you might have to
perform these steps twice. You cannot start
desktops in maintenance mode. After the
pool is created, you can manually put the
desktops into maintenance mode.
You can customize and test desktops
without having to reassign ownership.
When you create the pool, you can start
all desktops in maintenance mode to
prevent users from accessing them. You
can customize the desktops and exit
maintenance mode to return access to
your users.
For details, see “Manually Customizing
Desktops,” on page 103.
Chapter 5 Creating Desktop Pools
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