Update Linked-Clone Desktops - VMware View Manager 4.5 Admin Manual

A refresh preserves the unique computer information set up by QuickPrep or Sysprep. You do not need
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to rerun Sysprep after a refresh to restore the SID or the GUIDs of third-party software installed in the
system drive.
After you recompose a linked clone, View Manager takes a new snapshot of the linked clone's OS disk.
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Future refresh operations restore the OS data to that snapshot, not the one originally taken when the linked
clone was first created.
N You can slow the growth of linked clones by redirecting their paging files and system temp files to a
OTE
temporary disk. When a linked clone is powered off, View Manager replaces the temporary disk with a copy
of the original temporary disk that View Composer created with the linked-clone pool. This operation shrinks
the temporary disk to its original size.
This disposable-data option is supported only when the linked clones are in vSphere mode and reside on ESX/
ESXi 4.0 hosts.
You can configure this option when you create a linked-clone pool.

Update Linked-Clone Desktops

You can update linked-clone desktops by creating a new base image on the parent virtual machine and using
the recompose feature to distribute the updated image to the linked clones.
Prepare a Parent Virtual Machine to Recompose Linked-Clone Desktops
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Before you recompose a linked-clone desktop pool, you must update the parent virtual machine that you
used as a base image for the linked clones.
Recompose Linked-Clone Desktops
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Desktop recomposition simultaneously updates all the linked-clone desktops anchored to a parent
virtual machine.
Recompose Linked-Clone Desktops That Can Run in Local Mode
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You can recompose linked-clone desktops that can run in local mode. However, the desktops must be
checked in or rolled back to the datacenter before the recompose operation can take place.
Updating Linked Clones with Desktop Recomposition
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In a desktop recomposition, you can provide operating system patches, install or update applications,
or modify the desktop hardware settings in all the linked clones in a desktop pool.
Correcting an Unsuccessful Recomposition
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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.
Prepare an ESX Host or Cluster to Support Parent Virtual Machine Hardware v7
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To recompose linked-clone desktops with a parent virtual machine that you upgraded to hardware v7,
you must deploy the linked-clone pool on an ESX/ESXi host or cluster that is version 4.0 or later, and the
pool must use vSphere mode.
Prepare a Parent Virtual Machine to Recompose Linked-Clone Desktops
Before you recompose a linked-clone desktop pool, you must update the parent virtual machine that you used
as a base image for the linked clones.
View Composer does not support recomposing linked clones that use one operating system to a parent virtual
machine that uses a different operating system. For example, you cannot use a snapshot of a Windows 7 or
Windows Vista parent virtual machine to recompose a Windows XP linked clone.
VMware, Inc.
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Chapter 9 Managing Linked-Clone Desktops
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