The result is a corresponding savings in initial deployment time, user logon times, and IOPS. This guide also provided step-by-step instructions for configuring the Windows image to perform optimally in a virtual environment, where CPU cores are shared among many VMs, and where users might be accessing a new VM every time they log in, though they probably will not realize it.

Seventeen discreet versions of the Windows OS were tested using the procedures in this guide, including thirteen versions of Windows The procedures in this guide help you create an optimized Windows image that you can use in a VMware Horizon implementation or in other types of deployments. End users will have a great experience, whether they access their personalized virtual desktops or remote applications from company laptops, their home PCs, thin-client devices, Macs, tablets, or smartphones.

For more information about the VMware products mentioned in this guide, you can explore the following resources:. This message will close in seconds. You are about to be redirected to the central VMware login page. The operating system on a physical machine determines whether or not resources are available. One-time actions impact the user only the first time they are performed because the machine is never refreshed.

For example, a user typically gets a new user profile the first time they log on, and they continue to use that same profile with all subsequent logons. Virtual desktops — In contrast, in a virtual environment, the guest operating system behaves as if it has exclusive access to the CPU cores, but in reality the cores are shared between 2 to 8 virtual machines. Advantages of an Optimized Image Optimizing the golden image is well worth the time and effort involved.

Initial Deployment Time Savings By trimming the image, you can reduce the amount of required disk space by up to 80 percent, which translates to a significant reduction in the time it takes to create desktop pools up to 3 times faster. User Logon Time Savings When a user logs on, the portion of logon time devoted to creating a standard user profile can take up to 30 seconds, but when optimized, this portion of logon time could be reduced to 3.

Host Memory Savings A default deployment can use up to 2 GB of active memory, but with optimization, memory requirements can be reduced significantly up to 50 percent. Storage and IOPS Savings Because of the earlier-mentioned disk-space savings, you realize cache-usage improvements as well. Tested Operating Systems The following operating systems have been tested using the procedures included in this guide. Infrastructure Prerequisites Before you can perform the procedures in this guide, you must have certain infrastructure components installed and configured.

If you are using a VMware vSphere infrastructure, which can reside either on-premises or on one or more cloud platforms, verify that you have the following components installed and configured: VMware vSphere and vCenter Server.

We used vSphere 7. For information and installation instructions, see the VMware vSphere documentation. The ISO file must contain a supported version of the Windows operating system. You will point to this file when completing the New Virtual Machine wizard. For a list of the operating systems we tested, see Tested Operating Systems. User account — When you log in to vSphere Web Client, the account you use must have the privileges required to create a VM. Select New Virtual Machine. Select Create a new virtual machine.

Click NEXT. Select a VM Name and Folder. Provide a name in the Virtual machine name field. Select a location. Select a Cluster or Host. Select a cluster or host as the compute resource. Select a Datastore for the VM. Select a datastore or datastore cluster where you would like to store the VM. Select the vSphere Compatibility Level. Select the Windows Version and Architecture. Specify Virtual Hardware Settings.

Select 2 CPUs. This should be tested and adjusted to real production values later. Select 2. Expand the Memory section. Select Reserve all guest memory All locked. Choose an appropriate hard disk size.

Select VMware Paravirtual. From the VM Network list, select the appropriate network. Expand New Network. Scroll down. Continue Specifying Hardware Settings. Select Connect. Expand the Video card section. Select the maximum Number of Displays that will be used.

Use the following table to determine which number to enter in the Total amount of video memory field. Specify VM Options. At the top of the page click on VM Options. Expand the Advanced section. Edit the Configuration Parameters. For Name , type devices. Click OK. Click NEXT on the wizard page. Complete the Wizard. Open a Remote Console for the VM. If necessary, you can click the ” i ” button to download and install it.

Power on the VM. Click the play icon, which is a small triangle-shaped button at the top of the window. Select Settings for Your Region. Select the correct regional options. Click Next. Begin Installing Windows. Select the Edition. This screen is only shown for an ISO that contains multiple editions. Select the Windows edition. Accept the License Agreement. Select the I accept the license terms check box. Select the Custom Installation.

Select Custom: Install Windows only advanced. When this page is displayed go back to the vSphere Client. Click Install VMware Tools. Open the Load Driver Dialog Box. Open the File Browser.

Select the Driver. Use the Default Installation Location. Monitor Installation Progress. Power Off. Click the Start icon. Click the Power icon. Select Shut down. Install VMware Tools VMware Tools is a set of services and modules that enable several features in VMware products for better management of, and seamless user interactions with, guests operating systems.

Click on the play icon, which is a triangle-shaped icon at the top of the VM console. Click Select to choose what happens with this disc. Start the Installation Wizard. Click Run setup Click Next on the Welcome Page. Select the Custom Setup Type. Select Custom. Exclude the Service Discovery Component. Deselect Service Discovery , which enables the discovery of various services running inside a virtual machine.

This component is not necessary. Exclude the Volume Shadow Copy Component. Begin Installation of VMware Tools. Exit the Installation Wizard. Do Not Restart the VM. Net Framework 3. Select Check for Updates. Click Check for updates and wait for the updates to be installed. Restart the VM. Prerequisites for Installing Horizon Agent To perform this procedure, you need the following: User account — When you log in to the OS of the golden image to run the installer, the account you use must have local administrative privileges.

Installer — Horizon Agent installer. You must download the file and copy it to the system where it will run or to a location accessible to the system. For a list of the systems we tested, see Tested Operating Systems. Start the Horizon Agent Wizard. Select I accept the terms in the license agreement.

Select the Mode. If you select RDS Mode the RDS role is installed and you are prompted to restart, after which you can launch the agent installer again. Select IPv4 or IPv6. Select Required Features. Select only the features that will be used. Enable Remote Desktop support.

Click Install. Click Finish to close the installer. When prompted to restart, click Yes. Prerequisites for FlexEngine Installation To perform this exercise, you need the following: User account — When you log in to the OS to run the installer, the account you use must have administrative privileges. Installer — If necessary, you can download the installer from the VMware Downloads page.

The installer is included in a ZIP file. You must download the file, extract the Dynamic Environment Manager MSI file, and copy it to the system where it will run or to a location accessible to the system.

Internet access — The installation process includes a certificate revocation check to verify the digital signature of the MSI file. This check requires Internet access. Start the Installer. Select I accept the terms in the License Agreement. Choose the Typical Setup Type. Click Typical. Click Next on the License File Page. Begin Installation. Install Applications in the Base Image Although our primary application-delivery mechanism is App Volumes, it might be desirable to install select applications in the primary VM so that all clones get those applications in their base disk.

Creating a VM in Horizon Cloud and Installing Agents Import a VM in Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure Introduction Horizon Cloud delivers feature-rich virtual desktops and applications using a purpose-built cloud platform that is scalable across multiple deployment options, including fully managed infrastructure from VMware and public cloud infrastructure from Microsoft Azure.

Log In to the Horizon Universal Console. In general, they can take the following 2 measures:. If you choose the first way, you need to create a Windows 10 VM from scratch. The brief process is as follows:. Please note that these virtual machines expire after 90 days. If you want to continue to try the Pro and higher editions, you should enter the product key. Author Linda has been working as an editor at MiniTool for 1 year.

This final step is where the image is generalized and ready for distribution to users using Sysprep. Imager software will automate the Sysprep process and perform any other clean-up tasks which might be necessary. Then we have a summary view where we can see the progress. Note the cancel button which allows us to cancel the whole process and modify certain parameters before starting again. Click Done button to see this page. Our VM is created so we can open the file location and have a look.

We have two options here. No matter what you do, during the first boot, the VM will initialize itself, reboots, and then offers you to connect. A traditional Microsoft procedure. StarWind VSAN is hypervisor and hardware agnostic, allowing you to forget about hardware restrictions and crazy expensive physical shared storage. Build your infrastructure with off-the-shelf hardware, scale however you like, increase return on investment ROI and enjoy Enterprise-grade virtualization features and benefits at SMB price today!

The software is helpful when creating golden image VMs with Windows 10 software to be used for VMware Horizon or other purposes. You can use it to create your datacenter VMs where you have the options to preinstall the software. You can avoid quite a few manual steps that are grouped into the assistant.

No other scripting technology is necessary so as such, the software is very easy to use. As stated, for now, there is no Windows 11 support, but in the future, there will be. As of now, Windows 10 is still the preferred OS within an enterprise because W11 has too many requirements on the latest hardware, but things will slowly change, as usually. Other than that, I really like this little free software from VMware. As usually, you can only download it after accepting the Tech Preview agreement.

Build a Windows 10 image with Packer using VMware Workstation – – Using Automation

 
Process to Install Windows 10 in a virtual machine using Windows 10 ISO disc image: · In the Fusion menu bar, go to File > New. · Select Install. Creating an Optimized Windows Image for a VMware Horizon Virtual Desktop. For a complete list of supported Windows 10 operating systems, see the VMware.