Linked Clone Pools with quick prep and KMS

[kappyninewood]

Below are a few things I'm still not clear on?  1) When do I choose quick prep as my process for the Linked clones, during the Linked clone pool creation within View Admin?  2) Where do I point the newly provisioned linked clone desktops to point to the KMS server?  3) So to create a linked cone pool I need to power off the Parent VM and take a snapshot, and then choose that snapshot when I'm going through the floating Pool linked clone process, correct?

[whynotq]

Selection of Quick Prep is the final screen where you also select the OU to store the Linked Clones in, Make sure this is created first in line with best practices.

KMS not to sure on personally.

The linked clone proces is:

• Create your master image.(VMtools and View Agent installed) (take a snapshot)
  
• Tune it with the VMware optimizations guide. (take a snapshot)
  
• add core apps. (take a snpashot)
  
• Add Anti-virus agents (take a snapshot)
  
• create the pool and having selected pool type and VM type as Linked Clones select the final snapshot.
  
• Deploy a limited number and test that performance is acceptable.
  
• If all is good clone the Gold Image and take a new snapshot and recompose the pool from this new source and snap
  

there are plenty of other bits around this but that is a core of the way I approach it.

regards

Paul

[WillFawkes · Accepted solution]

When you create the master vm and before snapshotting it, make sure its using the kms client key.  Any machine that uses that key will automatically discover the kms host on your network and activate.  There is no need to specifiy it in the quickprep settings.  When I was using sysprep I put the kms client key in the customization settings, but quickprep just takes whats there and uses it.