5.0

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For power users and knowledge workers who must install their own applications, which adds data to the
operating system disk, create full virtual machine desktops.
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If knowledge workers do not require user-installed applications except for temporary use, you can create
View Composer linked-clone desktops. The desktop images share the same base image and use less storage
space than full virtual machines.
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If you use View Composer linked-clone desktops, implement View Persona Management, roaming
profiles, or another profile management solution.
Configure persistent disks so that you can refresh and recompose the linked-clone OS disks while keeping
a copy of the each user profile on the persistent disks.
Pools for Mobile Users
These users can check out a View desktop and run it locally on their laptop or desktop even without a network
connection.
View Client with Local Mode provides benefits for both end users and IT administrators. For administrators,
local mode allows View security policies to extend to laptops that have previously been unmanaged.
Administrators can retain tight control over the applications that run on the View desktop and can centrally
manage the desktop just as they do remote View desktops. With local mode, all the benefits of VMware View
can also extend to remote or branch offices that have slow or unreliable networks.
For end users, benefits include the flexibility of continuing to use their own computers online or offline. The
View desktop is automatically encrypted and can easily be synchronized with an image in the datacenter for
purposes of disaster recovery.
General Recommendations
Local mode users might need to access their desktop applications and data from their laptop when no network
connection is available. In addition, they might need this data to be regularly and automatically backed up to
the datacenter in the event that the laptop is ever lost, damaged, or stolen. To provide these capabilities, you
can use the following pool settings.
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When creating a virtual machine to base the pool on, configure the minimum amount of RAM and virtual
CPUs required by the guest operating system. Desktops that run in local mode adjust the amount of
memory and processing power they use based on that available from the client computer.
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Create an automated pool so that desktops can be created when the pool is created or can be generated
on demand based on pool usage.
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Use dedicated assignment because local mode users need to log in to the same desktop every time.
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Create View Composer linked-clone desktops so that desktops share the same base image and use less
storage space in the datacenter than full virtual machines.
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If you want the provisioning process to generate a unique local computer SID and GUID for each linked
clone in the pool, select a Sysprep customization specification when you create the pool. Sysprep creates
new SIDs and GUIDs during the initial provisioning and after recompose operations. Because you are not
likely to recompose local mode pools, the SIDs and GUIDs are not likely to change.
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Include in the pool only desktops that are intended to be used in local mode. Local mode virtual machines
can be placed on datastores with lower IOPS requirements than storage intended to support large numbers
of remote View desktops.
Additional Recommendations Targeting Minimal Capital Expenditure
You can reduce the number of ESX/ESXi hosts required for your local mode pool if you increase the number
of virtual machines per ESX/ESXi host. An ESX/ESXi 4.1 host can accommodate up to 500 virtual machines if
most are not powered on at the same time, as is frequently the case for local mode pools.
Chapter 4 Architecture Design Elements and Planning Guidelines
VMware, Inc. 39