new to view...question on snapshots

[IB_IT]

Hi all,

I am a long time datacenter admin of vsphere...just recently getting into view, which is totally new to me.  Supporting the datacenter world for so long I tend to think that snapshots are a bad thing...when used incorrectly.  I always try to keep a snapshot no longer than a day.  I am finding that in View it's not the case.  Can someone send me documentation on how/why it is encouraged to use a snapshot for the image at all times with the gold image?  Is it just a different mindset for desktop support?  When you point to a snapshot is it even really "using" it, or is this just a point in time recovery in case your new image breaks?  Does it hinder performance? I have been looking online and can't really find a document or kb that clearly lays out the best practices of snapshot use in the desktop support world as opposed to the server world.  Again, sorry if my questions seem dumb...I still don't have a full understanding of View yet, but I'll get there

[ctcbod]

What kind of view pools are you using?  

With a linked clone pool, snapshots are used to create the replicas that your desktops will be linked to. Once these replicas are created, you can do what you want with the snapshot but they are generally kept for a period just in case things go wrong with the gold image and you need to roll back your desktops to a working image.  I don’t know what the best practices are but I generally keep 2 rolling snapshots for every recompose.  Obviously, make sure that there’s room in the gold image datastore for growth.

[IB_IT]

Yes type is automated pool and source is vcenter linked clone.  I guess I need to get out of my box with the snapshot piece...in retrospect I don't see this snapshot getting out of control as the box just sits idle if even on at all.  Thanks.

[jgotway]

Here is the link to answer your question:  https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=10252...

I usually keep three snapshots (keeping more than 3 will begin to degrade performance). They are different than a server environment where you do not want to keep them due to the change rate filling up a datastore. Every time you "point" a pool to a new snapshot, a new replica will be created that the floating pool will use to clone over and over again. This allows the gold image to have changes made without affecting the cloning process for a pool.