VMware View - Changes to Parent don't propagate to Linked Clones?

[mjtvillanova]

Hi -

I'm very new to VMware View and testing it in demo. I have a test environment with View 5 and vCenter 5. I've created a golden image, then generating Linked Clones off the golden image.

How do I get my changes from the golden image to propagate to my linked clones in a timely fashion? The only solution I found is to delete the linked clone desktops, then have a new one generated. This is taking View about 30 minutes to create one new Linked Clone for Windows 7 64-Bit. I don't understand it because i'm running RAID 50 on 6 dedicated drives at 15k.

Thank you.

[mittim12]

Whenever you deploy a new image to the pool a new replica will have to be created.   I find the best thing to do is simply recompose one of the desktops with the new image so that the pool remains online and functional with the older image.  Once the replica is completed you can then go and recompose the entire pool if you want.

[mjtvillanova]

I understand what you are saying, but not how to do it. Could you elaborate a little further?

[mittim12]

Well the first step would be to power on the parent machine,  login and make your changes, do your ipconfig /release and shutdown the parent machine, make the new snapshot, and then you can recompose members of your View pool to the new snapshot.   This will create a new replica machine and then linked clones can be built based on this new replica. 

[mjtvillanova]

I was doing what you said almost exactly, but confused by " then you can recompose members of your View pool to the new snapshot. " I think I need to understand exactly how to "recompose" properly.

Here is what I have done:

1) Power on parent

2) Make changes to parent (example: Install Adobe Reader X)

3) On Parent type ipconfig /release then shutdown

4) In vCenter make a snapshot of the Parent

5) Log into View Administrator

6) In View go to Pools -> highligh my pool -> select Edit -> vCenter Settings -> next to Default Image select Browse -> select the new Snapshot made in step  4. Then select OK twice.

7) wait wait wait no new applications are applied to my virtual machines powered on..... wait more

😎 In View go to Desktop -> Click on Remove -> Select DELETE -> OK

9) Wait for 30 minutes for new desktop to auto provision, login via View Client, new app is displayed.

[mittim12]

7) wait wait wait no new applications are applied to my virtual machines powered on..... wait more

😎 In View go to Desktop -> Click on Remove -> Select DELETE -> OK

9) Wait for 30 minutes for new desktop to auto provision, login via View Client, new app is displayed.

6:     Step step 6 is fine because your setting the default image so that any new VMs created will be under that image.

7:     Nothing is going to be created because you simply set the default image

8:     In View go into the desktop pool, inventory, high desktop, go into View Composer and choose recompose.   This will create the replica of the new snapshot and change that desktop use that replica.   This may take some time but once it has completed you should be able to recompose the other desktops much quicker.          

[mjtvillanova]

Mittim12 -

WOW! Okay - So, the first desktop i recomposed took about 10 minutes at most. Typically this took much longer. Logged in and my new app was there. I decided to try a second desktop. I changed the desktop to the new snapshot then recompose. I'd say in about 60 seconds the desktop was recomposed and my application was ready!

Once again, thank you again!

[mittim12]

That is great news.  I always found that way much easier than recomposing the entire pool.  This way people can continue to work or you can simply just test the new image with a couple of users.