Automated desktop pools will be the largest use case within our Horizon View environment, and so we will start by looking at how to create and manage those first.

As you start running through the configuration wizards to create the automated desktop pools, you will be asked a number of questions that will further define how the users will use the desktop pool. The first of these questions is how is the desktop going to be assigned to the end users?

The first option is for creating dedicated desktop assignments. Along with this option, you will get the choice of having an automatic assignment. Dedicated desktops are generally used due to something being stored or configured within the user's desktop that is important for that user, or due to application-specific nuances (for example, a licensing restriction that requires a specific MAC address to be used). This means that every time the user wants to connect to a desktop, they will always be given the same desktop.

With a dedicated virtual desktop machine that is built using Linked Clones, you can also add a persistent disk to the virtual desktop to save all the changes that happen to the desktop while the user is using it. If you then need to refresh or recompose the desktop operating system, then the user won't lose the customizations or their personal data stored on their desktop as they are stored on a separate disk. However, you need to keep in mind that there is no easy way to back up the persistent disks and, as such, you might decide to use another tool to protect and update these desktops.