A persistent desktop is a vDesktop that is assigned to a specific end user and whose state is saved after they log off:
For example, in the preceding figure, if User_1 signs in to a View environment for the first time and is automatically assigned vDesktop_7, they would connect to vDesktop_7 today, tomorrow, and until the assignment is removed. If vDesktop_7 has an issue and is unavailable, User_1 will not have a functioning work environment and will be unable to be productive.
When using persistent desktops, View does not automatically reassign the end user to an available vDesktop if their assigned vDesktop is unavailable.
A persistent vDesktop has persistent data until:
The vDesktop is unassigned from the specific user
The desktop pool that the vDesktop is a member of is refreshed (linked clones), unless you are using a persistent disk to preserve the Profile and AppData information
The desktop pool that the vDesktop is a member of is recomposed (linked clones)
Historically...