Desktop Types

The most fundamental question to consider is whether a certain type of user needs a stateful desktop image or a stateless desktop image. Whether you use persistent or non-persistent desktops depends on the specific type of worker.

For more information about creating desktop pools for specific types of workers, see Creating Desktop Pools for Specific Types of Workers.

• Persistent Desktop

  Persistent desktops have data in the operating system image itself that must be preserved, maintained, and backed up. For example, users who need to install some of their own applications or have data that cannot be saved outside of the virtual machine itself (such as on a file server or in an application database) require a persistent desktop.

  There are several ways to create persistent desktops in Horizon 8:

  • You can create pools of full clones (also known as full virtual machines).
  • If you have already created virtual desktops or physical desktops, you can import them into Horizon 8 as persistent desktops using the dedicated-assignment manual desktop pool.

  Persistent desktops give users the highest degree of flexibility and control over their own desktops. However, persistent desktops consume more compute resources and are more difficult to manage by IT. These desktops might require traditional image management techniques.

  Persistent desktops can have low storage costs in conjunction with certain storage system technologies. Since each persistent desktop is unique and must be preserved, backup and recovery technologies are important when considering strategies for business continuity.

• Non-persistent Desktop

  Non-persistent desktops are stateless images that are identical to one another. They are primarily used by users who do not need to install or preserve their own applications. Horizon 8 provisions non-persistent desktop pools using automated, floating assignment pools. Provisioning depends on which capacity provider hosts the pool. Pool behavior is consistent across all supported capacity providers.

  Non-persistent desktops have many advantages, such as being easier to support and having lower storage costs. Other benefits include a limited need to back up the virtual machines and easier, less expensive disaster recovery and business continuity options. The virtual desktops themselves do not need to be protected as there is no unique user data stored.

  In the event that the virtual desktops are destroyed, you can simply re-create them from the golden image. Folder redirection and various profile technologies can optionally be used to store user profile and user data.

  You can also specify how users are assigned desktops in a pool.

  Dedicated-assignment pools	Each user is assigned a particular virtual desktop and returns to the same desktop at each login. Dedicated assignment pools require a one-to-one desktop-to-user relationship. For example, a pool of 100 desktops are needed for a group of 100 users.
  Floating-assignment pools	Using floating-assignment pools also allows you to create a pool of desktops that can be used by shifts of users. For example, a pool of 100 desktops could be used by 300 users if they worked in shifts of 100 users at a time. The remote desktop is sometimes deleted and re-created after each use, offering a highly controlled environment.