PROPALMS VDI. Version 2.1. Administrators Guide. Rev

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PROPALMS VDI

Version 2.1

Rev. 2.1.5

Published: JUNE 2012

Administrators

Guide

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The information contained in this document represents the current view of Propalms Ltd. on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Propalms Ltd. must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Propalms Ltd., and Propalms Ltd. cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication.

This white paper is for informational purposes only. PROPALMS LTD. MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT.

Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Propalms Ltd.

Contact Propalms Ltd. The Catalyst

Baird Lane York

North Yorkshire YO10 5GA UK

Email: [email protected]

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CHAPTER1

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

WHAT’S IN THIS GUIDE

This is a complete administrator guide to setting up the Propalms VDI solution. It also discusses additional configurations and best practices for utilizing underlying virtualization platforms used (Parallels Virtuozzo Container Server, KVM, Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware ESXi). It explains the concepts of Propalms VDI solution and then explains what is required to setup Propalms VDI solution. This guide then provides help on all management controls provided by Propalms VDI management console and troubleshooting steps.

INTENDED AUDIENCE

This guide is for system and database administrators, and other persons who are responsible for deploying and administering Propalms VDI solution.

This guide assumes you are familiar with the following:

 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Operating System

 Microsoft Windows 2008/ 2008 R2 Operating System

 Microsoft Windows Network Administration

 Microsoft SQL Server or SQL Express Edition

 Basic Web Server administrative functions

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CHAPTER2

PROPALMS VDI

VIRTUAL DESKTOP INFRASTRUCTURE

Propalms VDI provides a simple desktop virtualization management and delivery solution integrating with and providing desktops from multiple platforms including VMware, Parallels and Microsoft technology. Propalms VDI solution provides the management interface to configure, implement and control the virtual machine allocation and monitor the usage.

TERMINOLOGY

Connection Broker

A highly scalable service capable of provisioning, managing, and brokering connections to virtual and physical machines running various client operating systems. Simply, it tells the user which virtual machine to connect to. It provides the management controls to configure, implement and control all aspects of desktop and application assignments to users.

Desktop Center

It’s a Propalms VDI term which signifies logical grouping virtual desktop computing resources based on geographical location or organizational level.

Managed Desktop

A hosted Virtual machine which is added to VDI configuration is called managed desktop. Such desktop can be managed and controlled by Propalms connection broker.

Managed Desktop Pool

A Managed Desktop pool is a set of managed desktops. Configuration and assignment policies can be set for a desktop pool which gets automatically applied for each desktop member of the pool. A managed desktop can be set to different policy values to override the managed desktop pool.

Client

A client is a VDI user. A client can be an individual user, group of users, OU from active directory, a standalone device configured with IP address, IP range or subnet number.

Virtualization Host

Virtualization host runs the virtualization product and hosts the virtual desktops. In this version Propalms VDI supports Parallels Virtuozzo Container 4.5, KVM Linux hypervisor, Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware ESXi / vCenter.

Propalms VDI Management Console

This is the management console for Propalms VDI solution. It is a .Net native application to be run from Administrator’s desktop.

Propalms VDI Desktop Agent

This is a set of Propalms tools installed inside each virtual machine to provide information about the active user on the virtual machine. It also enables administrators to send control messages to the virtual desktops.

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10 Propalms VDI Client

Connection broker client is small footprint platform client that is installed on end user device, say a PC or thin client. User need to use the Propalms connection broker client to login into VDI system and get access to their desktop.

VMware

VMware is the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, delivering customers proven solutions that accelerate IT by reducing complexity and enabling more flexible, agile service delivery. VMware’s virtualization technologies provide the backbone for scalable, high performing Virtual Desktop environments. With more than 250,000 customers and 25,000 partners, VMware solutions help organizations of all sizes lower costs, increase business agility and ensure freedom of choice.

Parallels Virtuozzo Containers Server

Parallels Virtuozzo Containers is a leading OS virtualization solution for Windows and Linux. Parallels Virtuozzo Containers creates isolated containers on a single physical server and OS instance. Compared to other virtualization technologies, Parallels Virtuozzo Containers offers the highest levels of density, performance and manageability.

KVM

KVM (for Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux on x86 hardware containing virtualization extensions (Intel VT or AMD-V). Using KVM, one can run multiple virtual machines running unmodified Linux or Windows images. Each virtual machine has private virtualized hardware: a network card, disk, graphics adapter, etc.

Microsoft Hyper-V

Windows Server 2008 R2 with Hyper-V, the next-generation hypervisor-based server virtualization technology, is available as an integral feature of Windows Server 2008 R2 and enables you to implement server virtualization with ease. Hyper-V allows you to make the best use of your server hardware investments by consolidating multiple server roles as separate virtual machines (VMs) running on a single physical machine.

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KEY FEATURES

Propalms VDI solution can manage a large virtual desktop infrastructure running over Parallels Virtuozzo Container servers, KVM, Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware ESXi.

The following table lists some of the main features of the Propalms VDI solution.

Hypervisor Support

Integration with and automation of Parallels Virtuozzo Integration with and automation of KVM using Libvirt library Integration with and automation of Microsoft Hyper-V Integration with and automation of VMware ESXi / vCenter Extends Vendor's Native Management Features

Can manage VMs w/o vendor's management console

Authentication / Authorization Integrates with Microsoft Active Directory Works without a Microsoft domain Method of desktop\application assignment:

 Domain/local User  Domain/local Group  AD Organizational Unit  IP Address or subnet Shared desktop pools

Assign multiple desktops to a user Resolve multiple group membership

Allow user to choose group profile to use to get desktop Temporary Desktop Assignment

Persistent Desktop Assignment Persistent assigned desktops on-demand Fallback to temporary desktop assignment Assign application templates to clients (Parallels)

Auditing and Reporting

Configuration change logs User authentication and access logs Log search and filtering

Monitor active sessions Disconnect active users/sessions Send message to clients

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12 View multiple connections from a user

KVM / VMware Virtual Machine (VM) management

Import Existing VM(s) from virtualization host

Create VM(s) on demand Schedule VM(s) creation

Create new VM(s) on one or multiple virtualization hosts Load balance new VM(s) creation across multiple hosts Delete VM(s) from connection broker

Delete VM(s) from virtualization host Start VM(s)

Shutdown VM(s)

Schedule shutdown operation for VM(s) is idle

Parallels Virtuozzo Container Management

Import existing containers from parallels host

Create containers on-demand Schedule container creation Start container creation

Create new containers on one or multiple parallels host Load balance new container creation across multiple hosts Delete container from connection broker

Delete container from parallels host Start container(s)

Shutdown container(s)

Schedule shutdown operation for containers is idle Manage applications inside container

Migrate application templates across parallels host

Dynamic Management of local Remote Desktop Users, Administrators Groups Monitor logged in users using RDP

Monitor idle usage of container

MS Hyper-V Management

Import Existing VM(s) from virtualization host Create VM(s) on demand

Schedule VM(s) creation

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13 Load balance new VM(s) creation across multiple hosts

Delete VM(s) from connection broker Delete VM(s) from virtualization host Start VM(s)

Shutdown VM(s)

Schedule shutdown operation for VM(s) is idle

Configuration Database

Centralized Configuration Database

Configuration Database Contents Readable without API Supports Logical / Geographical Zones

Reporting / Metrics DB Configuration History DB

Management Console

Single Management Console

Logical and Geographical grouping of desktops Disable Desktop from Properties

Disable Managed Desktop Group Disable Client

Disable Virtualization host

Management Console integrates with Parallels Application Management Publish/Unpublish Multiple Applications in one Task

Configure Session Auto-Logoff on timeout Win32/x64 based console

View active administrators

Add new connection broker administrators as:  Domain user

 Domain group  Local user  Local group

VDI Clients Agent (End user PC platform support)

Win32 Client with optional Web Portal Launch

Mac OSX Client Linux Client

iOS and Android Client

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VDI Client Features

System tray icon

Command line for automation

Allow the user to view the machine details Allow the user to shut down or restart the desktop Same user experience on all client platforms Restore last used settings

Display Protocol

Microsoft RDP

User Environment Configuration (Virtual Desktop)

Connection Profiles providing centralized Administrator control of user launch settings including:  Local resources

 Client experience settings  Display options

Virtual Channel Policies

Printing

MS RDP printing

Security Features

External SSL Gateway provided by Propalms VPN

HOW IT WORKS

Described below is how the different Propalms VDI components work for a single user transaction:

1. Propalms VDI Connection Broker accepts authentication requests from users via VDI client and authenticates the user using configured authentication method.

2. Connection broker looks up the most suitable virtual desktop based on configured policies. 3. It then checks the status of the virtual machine and sets it up for a remote connection.

4. Control is returned back to VDI Client running on end user machine which then initiates a remote desktop session with the virtual desktop whose information was provided by connection broker service. The remote desktop session is now available to the user.

5. Connection broker service keeps talking to the desktop agent service (part of VDI solution) running inside the virtual machine to get the status of the machine and events (user logoff, idle time, etc.).

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CHAPTER3

INSTALLATION CONCEPTS

PROPALMS VDI INSTALLERS

Propalms VDI installers can be downloaded from the Propalms website

http://www.propalms.com/download/productdownloads.php

The following components are installed as part of the complete Propalms VDI solution: 1. VDI Data store (SQL, SQL Express)

2. VDI Connection Broker 3. VDI Management Console 4. VDI Client

5. VDI Web Client (optional) 6. VDI Desktop Agent

VIRTUALIZATION PLATFORMS

The virtualization platform installation is a separate task that needs to be performed so the VDI Connection Broker can manage and deliver desktops from the chosen platform.

NB: Virtualization platform installation is not explicitly described here. Please refer to respective virtualization platform Installation guide for detailed instructions for production environments.

Propalms VDI currently supports the following virtualization platforms: 1. VMware ESXi / VMware vCenter

2. Parallels Virtuozzo Containers 3. Linux KVM hypervisor 4. Microsoft Hyper-V

INSTALLATION PRE-REQUISITES

VMWARE ESXI

The minimum hardware requirements for evaluating are:

 Server with 1x dual core processor, 8GB of RAM and 250GB of storage

 VMware ESX/ESXi 4.0, 4.1 or ESXi 5.0

For evaluating, you can download a free ESXi version from VMware.

https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/evalcenter?p=free-esxi5&lp=default

NB: Do not install the license key that comes with the free ESXi download. If you install this license key, the APIs required for Propalms VDI connection broker to work with the hypervisor will be closed and you will not be able to proceed with the setup. For production environments you will need to convert to a paid hypervisor license.

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16 Please contact your VMware Reseller for further information and pricing.

PARALLELS VIRTUOZZO

The minimum requirements for evaluating are:

 Any x86 or x64 platform that is supported by Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2

 2GB RAM or above

 20GB free disk space

 Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Windows 4.5 or above

 Windows Server 2003, 2008, 2008 R2

For the latest details on supported OS platforms and to download the trial of PVC view the following link:

http://www.parallels.com/uk/products/pvc/info/windows/details/

Please contact your Parallels Reseller for further information and pricing.

LINUX KVM HYPERVISOR

The KVM hypervisor requires:

 An Intel processor with the Intel VT and the Intel 64 extensions or an AMD processor with the AMD-V and the AMD64 extensions.

 6GB plus the required disk space recommended by the guest operating system per guest. For most operating systems more than 6GB of disk space is recommended.

 One processor core or hyper-thread for each virtualized CPU and one for the hypervisor.

 2GB of RAM plus additional RAM for virtualized guests.

MICROSOFT HYPER-V

The minimum requirements for evaluating are:

 x64 compatible processor with Intel VT or AMD-V technology enabled.

 2GB RAM or above (additional RAM is required for each running guest operating system)

 20GB free disk space (additional disk space needed for each guest operating system)

 Windows Server 2008 / R2 and above

To download Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V use the following link:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd459137.aspx

VDI CONNECTION BROKER

The minimum hardware requirements are:

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 1 GB of RAM

 2 GB or more hard disk space (for database and logs on database server)

The software required to run the VDI Connection Broker is:

 Windows Server 2003, 32-bit& 64-bit

 Windows Server 2008, 32-bit & 64-bit

 Windows Server 2008 R2

 Internet Information Services with ASP.Net enabled.

NB: In case of windows 2008 / R2 based connection broker installation, Add “Web server (IIS)” role with IIS6 Compatibility Support selected.

 .NET framework 3.5 SP1 or above

 Windows Installer 3.1 or above

 Microsoft SQL Server or SQL Express Edition

VDI MANAGEMENT CONSOLE

The VDI Management Console is a native .Net application. It can run on any hardware platform which can run Windows. This can be installed on the VDI Connection Broker server and/or Administrators desktop.

 1 GB of RAM

 100 MB Free disk space

The software required to run the VDI Management Console is:

 Windows XP, Vista, 7, Windows 2003, 2008, 2008 R2 (32, 64-bit)

 .NET framework 3.5 SP1 and above

VDI CLIENT

 256 MB of RAM

 10 MB free disk space

The software required to run the VDI Client is:

 Windows XP SP2 and above, Vista, 7, Windows 2003, 2008, 2008 R2 (32, 64-bit)

 Linux – Ubuntu, RHEL, Fedora

 MAC OSX – Universal Binary

 iPad / Android clients

VDI WEB CLIENT

The VDI Web client can be installed on the VDI Connection Broker server as it also requires IIS. The minimum hardware requirements are:

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 1 GHz CPU or above

 1 GB of RAM

The software required to run the VDI web client is:

 Windows 2003, 2008, 2008 R2 (32, 64-bit)

 Internet Information Server (IIS)

AUTHENTICATION AND AUTHORIZATION

In order to authenticate VDI users, Propalms VDI connection broker service can either use the local system database or it can integrate with a Microsoft Active Directory domain. Connection Broker service automatically detects the domain membership of the local machine at the time of installation. During configuration, administrator can choose to authenticate users from domain or from local system database.

DHCP

Ensure a DHCP server is running with available IP addresses for assignment to new virtual desktops.

VDI ADMINISTRATORS

By default when the VDI Connection Broker service is installed, the local system administrator group is added to VDI configuration as a VDI administrator.

If the VDI Connection Broker installation is done from a domain administrator admin account, the domain administrator group as well as local administrator group is added as VDI administrator in VDI configuration.

MICROSOFT LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

Propalms VDI Connection Broker Service runs as part of IIS and provides access to hosted desktops to

authenticated users. Standard Microsoft hosted services CAL license policies apply in this case. Terminal service license is not required for Propalms VDI Connection Broker.

Microsoft licenses Windows for virtual desktops by access device:

• Virtual desktop access rights are a benefit of Windows Client Software Assurance (SA). Customers who intend to use PCs covered under SA have access to their Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) desktops at no additional charge.

• Customers who want to use devices that do not qualify for Windows Client SA, such as thin clients, would need to license those devices with Windows Virtual Desktop Access (VDA) in order to access a Windows VDI desktop. Windows VDA is also applicable to third party devices, such as contractor or employee owned PCs.

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CHAPTER 4 PROPALMS VDI INSTALLATION

To get started you will need a Windows Server in order to install the VDI connection broker. You may install Windows as a virtual instance on the virtual environment to reduce hardware required.

INSTALLING VMWARE

Please refer to VMware documentation for specific information on installing VMware ESXi:

http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vsphere-esxi-vcenter-server-pubs.html

INSTALLING PARALLELS VIRTUOZZO

Download and install the latest Parallels software by referring to the documentation from Parallels at the following location:

http://www.parallels.com/uk/products/pvc/info/windows/details/

INSTALLING MICROSOFT HYPER-V

For help getting started with Microsoft Hyper-V installation read the following:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732470(v=ws.10).aspx

INSTALLING VDI CONNECTION BROKER

Log on to your Windows Server as an administrator; either domain or local administrator account. The following instructions are based on Windows Server 2008 R2.

Add Application Server and Web Server roles along with ASP.NET and IIS6 Management compatibility role services. The steps are as shown below:

In Server Manager, select the Roles and choose Add Roles. Add the Application Server role and when prompted, add required features as displayed below:

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20 Select Web Server (IIS)

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21 Scroll down to the Management Tools section and select IIS 6 Management Compatibility

Once these services have been successfully installed you are ready to run the Setup.exe from the VDI installation folder.

The VDI Connection Broker installer will automatically install .NET Framework and offer to install SQL 2005 Express Edition if you do not have a database instance already available.

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22 Click I Agree and Next to agree to the End User License Agreement.

The VDI connection broker will begin to install

In case SQL Server is not installed on the machine already then the following screen is shown. Here you can select to Install SQL Server Express Edition on the connection broker server or use a SQL Server instance installed on another host.

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23 To install SQL Express on this machine choose Install Now and on the following screen Enter Password for ‘sa’ account.

Passwords entered on the authentication page must meet strong password policy requirements

The Connection Broker installer will setup the correct default parameters for SQL Express Edition server like enabling SQL authentication, enabling TCP/IP based communication and creation of user “sa” with specified password. The installation of SQL Express Edition is silent and no configuration question is asked from user. Alternatively you can use database on another machine by specifying the server name and authentication details for SQL administrator.

NB: For MS-SQL Express Editions, enter Server Name as <machinename>\SQLEXPRESS , e.g.

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24 After entering the password click Next; setup will be interrupted in order to start the SQL Server Installation. When SQL Server installation completes run setup.exe again to resume the connection broker installation.

Now, the screen will show that SQL Server is already installed on the machine. Enter the username and password for the SQL Server and click Next.

Once the setup is complete you will see the following screen which completes the VDI connection broker installation.

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25 For installation on Windows 2003, Internet Information Services (IIS) along with Active Service Pages (ASP) must be installed on the Windows server on which the VDI Connection Broker service will be installed.

Go to Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Add/Remove Windows Components and install: Internet Information Server with support for Active Server Pages.

Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1 is included with Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1). If necessary download the latest version from the Microsoft website.

If .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is not installed prior to running the VDI connection broker setup then the installer will prompt to download and install it prior to proceeding with VDI installation.

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INSTALLING VDI MANAGEMENT CONSOLE

Once the VDI connection broker is installed you can browse to

http://<ConnectionBrokerNameORIPAddress>/ConnectionBroker.

This will display a VDI Getting Started webpage from where you can download all the other VDI components.

Click the link highlighted above to install the VDI Management Console. Choose to Run or Save the Propalms VDI Management Console Setup.exe

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27 Click Next to continue

Optionally create Desktop and Quick Launch icons

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INSTALLING VDI WEB CLIENT

If you want to connect to VDI desktops via a web interface then you need to install the VDI Web Client.

Go to http://<ConnectionBrokerNameORIPAddress>/ConnectionBrokerand click the highlighted link to install. The simplest way to run this is from the same server as the connection broker as IIS is already installed as part of the connection broker service.

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29 Enter the Hostname or IP Address of the Connection Broker on the next screen and press Next to continue. If the Web Client is being installed on the same server as the Connection Broker then you can leave this value as localhost.

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30 The web client can be accessed on the URL - http://<ConnectionBrokerNameORIPAddress>/vdiclient

You will not be able to login and access desktops yet as we have not configured any in the Management Console. Instructions for installing VDI desktop client and VDI desktop agent are available later in this document.

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CHAPTER 5 PROPALMS VDI MANAGEMENT CONSOLE

LOG IN TO MANAGEMENT CONSOLE

Hostname = Servername or IP Address of Connection Broker Server (leave as localhost if Console is installed on same server as connection broker.)

Username = administrator account for VDI Password = password for Admin account

Domain= Active Directory domain name or leave blank for local authentication

NB: If the connection broker was installed on a domain member then you should be able to login using a domain admin account. If you cannot login, try using the local administrator account on the connection broker server leaving the domain field blank. Once connected to the management console check the authentication server details are correct for your domain.

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AUTHENTICATION SERVERS

In the authentication servers section you can manage the domains that can be authenticated against the VDI connection broker. This is used to later to specify VDI administrators and to assign desktops to domain groups and/or users.

From the Actions menu, select Add Authentication Server if your domain is not currently listed or you want to authenticate against multiple domains.

Host = domain controller name or IP address

Port = The LDAP port to connect with (389 by default)

Protocol = Choose between LDAP v2 and v3 (Active Directory support both versions)

Base DN = This is the starting point in the Active Directory hierarchy at which lookups will begin. Simply add the root domain to look up the whole directory. For example, for domain named vdi.com the value would be dc=vdi,dc=com

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33 User DN= specify an account with rights to read groups and users from the domain. For example, CN=Admin,CN=Users,DC=vdi,DC=com

Password= specify password for the above account

Finally use the Test Connection option to ensure the settings are correct.

You can delete or edit previously specified Authentication servers by selecting the option from the Actions menu or right clicking the chosen server.

ADD USERS, GROUPS, OUS AND DEVICES

The Users, Groups, Organizational Units and Devices options can be found under the Clients section. You need to add these clients in order to assign desktops to them at a later stage.

ADD USERS

To Add users, right click on Users and choose the Add User option.

A dialog box will open with a list of the existing domains in the drop down box and the corresponding users will be shown in the list below.

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34 You can also select the Persistence Type of the users at the time of adding them (bottom left corner of the window), which can also be changed later. A persistent assignment defines that a user receives a desktop on first logon and is always directed back to this desktop on subsequent logons. A temporary assignment does not guarantee returning to the same previous desktop and the user can be assigned any desktop from the pool.

ADD GROUPS

To Add groups, right click on Groups and choose the Add Group option.

A dialog box will open with a list of the existing domains in the drop down box and the corresponding groups will be shown in the list below.

Simply select any groups that you want to assign desktops to and click Finish.

NB: You can also select the Persistence Type of the Users at the time of adding them (bottom left corner of the window), which can also be changed later.

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ADD ORGANIZATIONAL UNITS

To Add organizational units, right click on Organizational Units and choose the Add Organizational Unit option. A dialog box will open with a list of the existing domains in the drop down box and the corresponding organizational units will be shown in the list below.

Simply select any organizational units that you want to assign desktops to and click Finish.

ADD DEVICES

To Add devices, right click on Devices and choose the Add Device option. Enter the Device Profile Name.

Select the Device Profile Type; it can be one of three types:

Host: Enter the IP address of the Device. After which any user (after authentication) logging in from that machine will get the Desktop assigned to that host rather than the Desktop assigned to the user.

IP Range: Specify the IP range (e.g. 10.10.10.1 – 10.10.10.10). After which any user (after authentication) logging in from any of the machines in that range will get a Desktop assigned to the IP range and not the user logging in. Subnet: Specify the Network Number and the Subnet Mask (e.g. Network Number - 10.10.10.0 and Subnet Mask – 255.255.255.0). After which any user (after authentication) logging in from any of the machines in that subnet will get a Desktop assigned to the subnet and not the user logging in.

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ADMINISTRATOR ACCESS

Administrators are those users who can log in to the VDI Management Console and change the configuration. When Propalms VDI – Connection Broker is installed on the server, Default Administrators are added in the Propalms VDI Configuration Database.

If the Server is in a domain during installation of Propalms VDI – Connection Broker the default groups that are added are:

 Administrators group on the localhost machine (where Propalms VDI – Connection Broker is installed).

 Builtin\Administrators group (this is the Administrators group on the domain).

If the server is not in domain the only default group added is:

 Administrators group on the localhost machine (where Propalms VDI – Connection Broker is installed).

You can view the current administrators or Add New Administrators using the Administrators section of the console.

To add a new Administrator user or group, either Right click on the screen where you can see all the administrators or under the Actions menu click on the Add Administrators option.

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37 Here you can select either user accounts or groups to be added as administrators.

Click Finish to add the selected users as Administrators.

You can also remove Administrators by choosing the Remove Administrators option from the Actions menu or by Right-clicking on the Administrators page.

NB: Make sure there is always one administrator account added in the configuration, otherwise you won’t be able to login into the console.

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USING VMWARE AS A VIRTUALIZATION HOST

ADD HOST

To add a new Virtualization Host, right click on Virtualization Hosts and click on Add new Virtualization Hosts option.

The Wizard for the adding a new Virtualization Host will be opened.

Enter the Virtualization Host Name and Virtualization Host Type (VMware) and click Next to proceed.

Server Name = hostname (connection broker host must be able to resolve name) or IP address of Virtualization server

Port No. = the value for the port number should be automatically set according to the virtualization type chosen. Overwrite this here if necessary.

Specify an account which has Administrative rights on the virtualization host. Finally click Test Connection to verify the details entered.

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39 Now you can see the Virtualization Host created in the management console.

CHANGING THE PROPERTIES OF A VIRTUALIZATION HOST

Right click on the Virtualization Host for which you want to check or change the properties and click on Properties option. The properties wizard will open for the same Virtualization Host.

You can change the Virtualization Host Name, but not the Virtualization Host Type.

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ENABLE/DISABLE A VIRTUALIZATION HOST

To disable or enable a Virtualization host from running virtual desktops, right click on the Virtualization Host you want to enable/disable. You will see either Enable or Disable as one of the options. If it shows Disable that means the Virtualization Host is currently enabled and now you can disable it by clicking on the Disable button.

REMOVE A VIRTUALIZATION HOST

As well as disabling a Virtualization Host you can also remove the host from the VDI Console.

Right click on the Virtualization Host you want to remove and click on the Remove Option. You will be presented with a confirmation message as displayed below, choose Yes to continue.

CREATE A NEW DESKTOP CENTER

Propalms VDI Desktop Centers signify a logical grouping of virtual desktop computing resources based on geographical location or organizational level.

Right Click on the Desktop Centers section and select Create new Desktop Center. The wizard for creating a new Desktop Center will be opened.

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41 Select the Virtualization Technology and click Next.

You can create new Virtualization Hosts here by clicking on Add new Virtualization Hosts button or add any number of Virtualization Hosts to this desktop center by adding the hosts from the Available Hosts list to Hosts in Desktop Center list.

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42 Once virtualization hosts are selected click Finish and you will see the new Desktop Center listed under Desktop Centers.

NB: If using VMware and templates have been created in VMware vCenter you will be prompted to import these as Golden Images into the console.

CHANGING THE PROPERTIES OF A DESKTOP CENTER

Right click on the Desktop Center for which you want to check or change the properties and click on Properties option. The properties wizard will open for the same Desktop Center.

We can now change the Desktop Center Name. The Virtualization Technology cannot be changed. Click next to proceed.

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43 You can create new Virtualization Hosts here by clicking on Add new Virtualization Hosts button.

Now you can add additional Virtualization Hosts to this desktop center by adding the hosts from the Available Hosts list to Hosts in the Desktop Center list.

DELETE A DESKTOP CENTER

Deleting a Desktop Center will delete all associated Desktop Pools and remove the configuration from the console. Right click on the Desktop Center you want to delete and click on the Delete Desktop Center option.

CREATE A NEW MANAGED DESKTOP POOL

Right click on the Desktop Center under which you want to create a Managed Desktop Pool. Click on Add new Managed Desktop Pool option.

The wizard for creating a new Managed Desktop Pool will be opened. Enter the Managed Desktop Pool Name and click Next to continue.

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44 Check either the Temporary or Persistent option depending upon how you want the desktops in this Managed Pool to be assigned to users.

Temporary Assignment means the user will be assigned a desktop from the pool but is not forced to get the same desktop at each logon.

Persistent Assignment ensures that every time the user logs in they will be directed to the same desktop.

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45 You can choose to enable Idle Time Out for this Desktop Pool. This is the time duration after which the desktops in this Managed Pool will be either shutdown or hibernated. Click Next to proceed.

On the Client Assignment you can specify who can access desktops in this pool.

You can choose the option Allow all clients to use the desktops in this pool; this will allow any autenticated user access to the desktops from this Desktop Pool.

Or you can choose Select the clients who can access the desktops in this pool.Using this option you can define access to desktops to specific users, groups, organizational units and devices.

Select from Users, Groups, OUs and Devices then add the objects from the Available Clients to Selected Clients.

NB: You will only see objects to assign that you have previously added under the Clients sections in the Management Console.

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46 At the final stage of creating the new Managed Desktop Pool you have the option to Add Desktops.

Select the relevant option and click Finish.

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47

CHANGING THE PROPERTIES OF A MANAGED DESKTOP POOL

Right click on the Desktop Pool for which you want to check or change the properties and click on Properties option. The properties wizard will open for the same Desktop Pool.

You can now change any of the options for the managed pool. Click Finish when done.

ENABLE/DISABLE DESKTOP POOL

To disable or enable a Desktop Pool from running virtual desktops, right click on the Desktop Pool you want to enable/disable. You will see either Enable or Disable as one of the options. If it shows Disable that means the Desktop Pool is currently enabled and now you can disable it by clicking on the Disable button.

ASSIGN DESKTOP POOL TO CLIENTS

Right click on the Desktop Pool and select Assign to Client.

Click Next to continue.

IMPORTING EXISTING VIRTUAL DESKTOPS

Right click on the Desktop Pool in which you want to add Managed Desktops and click Add Desktops option. A window will be opened show the following options:

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48 Choose Import exisitng computers from hosts.

IMPORT EXISTING COMPUTERS FROM HOSTS

If you already have desktop instances running on your virtualization host then you can import them into the VDI management console.

A wizard will open containing the list of Virtualization Hosts on the left side of the wizard and the Desktops on that Virtualization Host will be displayed in the top right list of the window after clicking on that Virtualization Host.

You can now select the Unmanaged Desktops and click Add Selected Desktops. This will move the selected desktops to the bottom right list.

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49 After you are done click the Finish button.

You can now see the Managed Desktops added to the Desktop Pool. However, these desktops cannot be assigned to users until the Propalms VDI Desktop Agent is installed on them. Until this happens, the imported desktops remain in Partially Imported (highlighted in red) state. Once, the agent is installed and carries out the configuration process, the state of these desktops changes to Fully Imported and can be assigned to users.

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50

INSTALL VDI DESKTOP AGENT

For performance and communication reasons vendor specific client tools should already be installed on the virtual desktops. The Propalms VDI Desktop Agent is a set of Propalms tools installed inside each virtual machine to provide information about the active user on the virtual machine. It also enables administrators to send control messages to the virtual desktops.

To add the VDI agent to each desktop you will need access either directly to the console or through remote desktop if it is already enabled.

NB: The VDI Desktop Agent ensures that remote desktop is enabled whenever it starts.

There is a feature in the VDI management console allowing an administrator to right click a desktop and console into the virtual desktop.

Download and save the VDI Desktop Agent fromhttp://<ConnectionBrokerNameORIPAddress>/ConnectionBroker

Open a command prompt and navigate to the directory where the agent setup file exists.

Once you are in the same folder (from the command prompt) as the agent setup, run the following command: VDIDesktopAgentSetup-2.1.exe /S /BrokerHost="< ConnectionBrokerNameORIPAddress >"

This will install the agent on the desktop and set the environment for the VDI Connection Broker host.

You can now connect to the virtual desktop by logging in as a valid user through either the VDI Desktop Client or VDI Web Client.

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51

CLONE MANAGED DESKTOPS DYNAMICALLY

A Golden Image, in terms of Propalms VDI, is a base desktop which can be cloned and new desktops can be created from it. The difference between template and golden image is that in a template, only the configuration is the same. However, in golden image the configuration as well as the data is cloned.

CREATE BASE OS IMAGE FOR GOLDEN IMAGE

In order to create a golden image, the first task is to create a Virtual Machine (Windows 7). This task is generally carried out from outside of the Propalms VDI product using the hypervisor client. You can either install Windows from CD/DVD, ISO image or alternatively use P2V conversion tools.

NB: Please refer to the VMware documentation for creating a new VM image. We recommend a clean desktop image is used.

1. Enable local administrator account on the Windows 7 VM. This account is disabled by default. 2. Install VMware Tools.

3. Add the Windows 7 VM to your domain.

4. Enable Remote Desktop connections and select domain users or groups who you want to access the desktops.

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52 5. Enable Windows Firewall to allow Remote Desktop connections.

6. Install Propalms VDI Desktop Agent.

Download and save the VDI Desktop Agent installer from

http://<ConnectionBrokerNameORIPAddress>/ConnectionBroker

Open a cmd prompt in elevated mode using Run as Administrator option.

Enter the following command from the directory where you saved the agent installer VDIDesktopAgentSetup-2.1.exe /S /BrokerHost="< ConnectionBrokerNameORIPAddress >"

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53 This will install the agent on the desktop and set the environment for the VDI Connection Broker host.

7. For production environments, the Windows 7 desktop image needs to be licensed and activated using a Microsoft Volume Activation key.

8. Finally, install any applications that you wish to include with the Golden Image. These will be available for all clones of this image.

IMPORTING AND CONVERTING VM TO GOLDEN IMAGE

Select the Desktop Center and on the right side of the screen choose Golden Images. On the Actions menu choose Import Golden Image.

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54 Select the image that you have configured to be your Golden Image and choose Add Selected Desktops then click Finish.

You can now see the Managed Desktops added to the specified desktop center as a golden image.

Alternatively you can right click any desktop in the pool and select Convert to Golden Image.

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55 The desktop image will be removed from the Managed Desktop page and visible under the Golden Images tab.

CREATE GOLDEN IMAGE

You can create a VM template in which to install the golden image by choosing the Create Golden Image option. A wizard will open asking to enter the Task Name and select the type of Operating System Template you want to use for the new golden image and click Next to proceed.

Enter the MD Name you want for the image as well as the host in Target Virtualization Host field to specify the host where the image would be created. You can also specify to use a template to create the image in this step by checking use template checkbox. Click Next to continue.

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56 You can specify the configuration of the image by specifying the Ram and umber of CPUs to be allocated to it. Click Next to continue.

You can specify the domain configuration in this step. The image can join a workgroup or a domain. You need to specify the domain credentials for the latter. Also, you can choose the time zone. Click Next to continue.

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57 You can attach various devices to the image in this step. For each device, you will be required to specify the basic configuration settings. Click Next to continue.

Enter the password for the Administrator account for the newly created image and click Next to continue.

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58

NB: This create option simply create and empty Virtual Machine in VMware which needs an operating system installed into it for it to function as a working Golden Image. You can run the Golden Image and connect to it using VMware tools in order to install the OS.

GOLDEN IMAGE OPERATIONS

By default, the Golden Image will be in offline mode. Select the Golden Image you want to operate on and right-click on it.

The golden image can be brought into running mode by clicking Run Golden Image.

Different operations like Pause/Suspend, Resume, Stop and Force Off as well as Console can also be performed on the image.

The configuration of a golden image can be edited. New hardware can be added and the existing one can be removed in a fashion similar to that of managed desktops.

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59 Removing the image will remove the golden image from the Propalms VDI Management as well as the Virtualization Host.

SAVING MANAGED DESKTOP CONFIGURATION AS TEMPLATE

A Configuration Template, in terms of Propalms VDI, is a configuration set which can be directly applied to a managed desktop during creation. Configurations include values for RAM allocation, CPU count, Devices attached and their specifications, etc. When the desktop is created you can simply select a template and apply that configuration set to the desktop being created instead of specifying these values individually for each of them. To store the configuration of a given desktop as a template, right-click on a desktop and click Save As Template.

The template will appear under the Configuration Templates section of the console. Here you can Delete, Edit or view Properties of the template.

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60

DEPLOYING MANAGED DESKTOPS FROM GOLDEN IMAGE

Right click on the Desktop Pool in which you want to add Managed Desktops and click Add Desktops option. Choose the option to Clone Managed Desktops Dynamically.

Enter a task name on the next screen.

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61 Enter the domain related information of the desktops being created. If a domain is specified, then the domain credentials also need to be entered. Also, select the time zone and click Next.

A list of golden images is displayed. Select an image and click Next.

The next screen asks about naming the disks, providing 2 options. On selecting Automatically name the Disks for the Desktops in the same pool, the new desktop’s disk is created in the same storage pool as the golden image itself. On selecting Automatically name the Disks for the Desktops in the different pool the desired storage pool is to be selected. In this case, the new desktop’s disk is created in the selected storage pool.

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62 Enter the password for the Administrator account on the desktop and click Next.

These desktops can be created immediately by selecting Create desktops now or on demand by selecting Create desktops on user logon. Alternatively desktops can be scheduled for creation using the Schedule the creation of desktops option.

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63 You can now see the Desktops added to the pool. You will have to start the desktops to initiate the Sysprep process in readiness for users logging in.

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64

USING PARALLELS AS A VIRTUALIZATION HOST

ADD HOST

To add a new Virtualization Host, right click on Virtualization Hosts and click on Add new Virtualization Hosts option.

The Wizard for the adding a new Virtualization Host will be opened.

Enter the Virtualization Host Name and Virtualization Host Type (Parallels) and click Next to proceed.

Server Name = hostname or IP address of Virtualization server

Port No. = the value for the port number should be automatically set according to the virtualization type chosen. Overwrite this here if necessary.

Specify an account which has Administrative rights on the virtualization host. Finally click Test Connection to verify the details entered.

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65 Now you can see the Virtualization Host created in the management console.

CHANGING THE PROPERTIES OF A VIRTUALIZATION HOST

Right click on the Virtualization Host for which you want to check or change the properties and click on Properties option. The properties wizard will open for the same Virtualization Host.

You can change the Virtualization Host Name, but not the Virtualization Host Type.

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66

ENABLE/DISABLE A VIRTUALIZATION HOST

To disable or enable a Virtualization host from running virtual desktops, right click on the Virtualization Host you want to enable/disable. You will see either Enable or Disable as one of the options. If it shows Disable that means the Virtualization Host is currently enabled and now you can disable it by clicking on the Disable button.

REMOVE A VIRTUALIZATION HOST

As well as disabling a Virtualization Host you can also remove the host from the VDI Console.

Right click on the Virtualization Host you want to remove and click on the Remove Option. You will be presented with a confirmation message as displayed below, choose Yes to continue.

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67

CREATE A NEW DESKTOP CENTER

Propalms VDI Desktop Centers signify a logical grouping of virtual desktop computing resources based on geographical location or organizational level.

Right Click on the Desktop Centers section and select Create new Desktop Center. The wizard for creating a new Desktop Center will be opened.

Enter the Desktop Center Name and click Next to proceed.

Select the Virtualization Technology and click Next.

You can create new Virtualization Hosts here by clicking on Add new Virtualization Hosts button or add any number of Virtualization Hosts to this desktop center by adding the hosts from the Available Hosts list to Hosts in Desktop Center list.

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68 Once virtualization hosts are selected click Finish and you will see the new Desktop Center listed under Desktop Centers.

CHANGING THE PROPERTIES OF A DESKTOP CENTER

Right click on the Desktop Center for which you want to check or change the properties and click on Properties option. The properties wizard will open for the same Desktop Center.

We can now change the Desktop Center Name. The Virtualization Technology cannot be changed. Click next to proceed.

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69 Now you can add additional Virtualization Hosts to this desktop center by adding the hosts from the Available Hosts list to Hosts in the Desktop Center list.

DELETE A DESKTOP CENTER

Deleting a Desktop Center will delete all associated Desktop Pools and remove the configuration from the console. Right click on the Desktop Center you want to delete and click on the Delete Desktop Center option.

CREATE A NEW MANAGED DESKTOP POOL

Right click on the Desktop Center under which you want to create a Managed Desktop Pool. Click on Add new Managed Desktop Pool option.

The wizard for creating a new Managed Desktop Pool will be opened. Enter the Managed Desktop Pool Name and click Next to continue.

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70 Check either the Temporary or Persistent option depending upon how you want the desktops in this Managed Pool to be assigned to users.

Temporary Assignment means the user will be assigned a desktop from the pool but is not forced to get the same desktop at each logon.

Persistent Assignment ensures that every time the user logs in they will be directed to the same desktop.

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71 You can choose to enable Idle Time Out for this Desktop Pool. This is the time duration after which the desktops in this Managed Pool will be either shutdown or hibernated. Click Next to proceed.

On the Client Assignment you can specify who can access desktops in this pool.

You can choose the option Allow all clients to use the desktops in this pool; this will allow any authenticated user access to the desktops from this Desktop Pool.

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72 At the final stage of creating the new Managed Desktop Pool you have the option to Add Desktops.

Select the relevant option and click Finish.

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73

CHANGING THE PROPERTIES OF A MANAGED DESKTOP POOL

Right click on the Desktop Pool for which you want to check or change the properties and click on Properties option. The properties wizard will open for the same Desktop Pool.

You can now change any of the options for the managed pool. Click Finish when done.

ENABLE/DISABLE DESKTOP POOL

To disable or enable a Desktop Pool from running virtual desktops, right click on the Desktop Pool you want to enable/disable. You will see either Enable or Disable as one of the options. If it shows Disable that means the Desktop Pool is currently enabled and now you can disable it by clicking on the Disable button.

ASSIGN DESKTOP POOL TO CLIENTS

Right click on the Desktop Pool and select Assign to Client.

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74

IMPORTING EXISTING VIRTUAL DESKTOPS

Right click on the Desktop Pool in which you want to add Managed Desktops and click Add Desktops option. A window will be opened show the following options:

Choose Import exisitng computers from hosts.

IMPORT EXISTING COMPUTERS FROM HOSTS

If you already have desktop instances running on your virtualization host then you can import them into the VDI management console.

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75 You can now select the Unmanaged Desktops and click Add Selected Desktops. This will move the selected desktops to the bottom right list.

After you are done click the Finish button.

You can now see the Managed Desktops added to the Desktop Pool. However, these desktops cannot be assigned to users until the Propalms VDI Desktop Agent is installed on them. Until this happens, the imported desktops remain in Partially Imported (highlighted in red) state. Once, the agent is installed and carries out the configuration process, the state of these desktops changes to Fully Imported and can be assigned to users.

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76

INSTALL VDI DESKTOP AGENT

For performance and communication reasons vendor specific client tools should already be installed on the virtual desktops. The Propalms VDI Desktop Agent is a set of Propalms tools installed inside each virtual machine to provide information about the active user on the virtual machine. It also enables administrators to send control messages to the virtual desktops.

To add the VDI agent to each desktop you will need access either directly to the console or through remote desktop if it is already enabled.

NB: The VDI Desktop Agent ensures that remote desktop is enabled whenever it starts.

There is a feature in the VDI management console allowing an administrator to right click a desktop and Console into the virtual desktop.

Download and save the VDI Desktop Agent fromhttp://<ConnectionBrokerNameORIPAddress>/ConnectionBroker

Open a command prompt and navigate to the directory where the agent setup file exists.

Once you are in the same folder (from the command prompt) as the agent setup, run the following command: VDIDesktopAgentSetup-2.1.exe /S /BrokerHost="< ConnectionBrokerNameORIPAddress >"

This will install the agent on the desktop and set the environment for the VDI Connection Broker host.

You can now connect to the virtual desktop by logging in as a valid user through either the VDI Desktop Client or VDI Web Client.

CREATE MANAGED DESKTOPS DYNAMICALLY

PVC virtualizes servers at the operating system, or kernel layer, to create an isolated instance (container) of the operating system on the physical server. These instances (containers) can be dynamically created to allow availability of VDI desktop instances ready for users to connect to or scheduled / created on demand.

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77

CREATE SAMPLE CONTAINER FOR DYNAMIC DESKTOP CREATION

The first step to allow dynamic desktop creation is to create a sample container as a template. This task is generally carried out from outside of the Propalms VDI product using the Parallels Management Tools.

Open Parallels Management Console.

Go to the Container Samples and right click to Create New Container Sample.

You can either select a Sample as a template to create a new one or create it manually. Select Set Container Sample Manually.

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78 Enter the name of the Sample and the Description and click Next to continue.

Select OS Template and click Next.

Leave the Resources section as default settings for evaluation.

PROPALMS VDI. Version 2.1. Administrators Guide. Rev

PROPALMS VDI

Version 2.1

Rev. 2.1.5

Published: JUNE 2012

Administrators

Guide

CONTENTS

CHAPTER1

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

WHAT’S IN THIS GUIDE

INTENDED AUDIENCE

CHAPTER2

PROPALMS VDI

VIRTUAL DESKTOP INFRASTRUCTURE

TERMINOLOGY

KEY FEATURES

Hypervisor Support

Auditing and Reporting

KVM / VMware Virtual Machine (VM) management

Parallels Virtuozzo Container Management

MS Hyper-V Management

Configuration Database

Management Console

VDI Clients Agent (End user PC platform support)

VDI Client Features

Display Protocol

User Environment Configuration (Virtual Desktop)

Printing

Security Features

HOW IT WORKS

CHAPTER3

INSTALLATION CONCEPTS

PROPALMS VDI INSTALLERS

VIRTUALIZATION PLATFORMS

INSTALLATION PRE-REQUISITES

VMWARE ESXI

PARALLELS VIRTUOZZO

LINUX KVM HYPERVISOR

MICROSOFT HYPER-V

VDI CONNECTION BROKER

VDI MANAGEMENT CONSOLE

VDI CLIENT

VDI WEB CLIENT

AUTHENTICATION AND AUTHORIZATION

DHCP

VDI ADMINISTRATORS

MICROSOFT LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

CHAPTER 4

PROPALMS VDI INSTALLATION

INSTALLING VMWARE

INSTALLING PARALLELS VIRTUOZZO

INSTALLING MICROSOFT HYPER-V

INSTALLING VDI CONNECTION BROKER

INSTALLING VDI MANAGEMENT CONSOLE

INSTALLING VDI WEB CLIENT

CHAPTER 5

PROPALMS VDI MANAGEMENT CONSOLE

LOG IN TO MANAGEMENT CONSOLE

AUTHENTICATION SERVERS

ADD USERS, GROUPS, OUS AND DEVICES

ADD USERS

ADD GROUPS

ADD ORGANIZATIONAL UNITS

ADD DEVICES

ADMINISTRATOR ACCESS

USING VMWARE AS A VIRTUALIZATION HOST

ADD HOST

CREATE A NEW DESKTOP CENTER

CREATE A NEW MANAGED DESKTOP POOL

IMPORTING EXISTING VIRTUAL DESKTOPS

CLONE MANAGED DESKTOPS DYNAMICALLY

USING PARALLELS AS A VIRTUALIZATION HOST

ADD HOST

CREATE A NEW DESKTOP CENTER

CREATE A NEW MANAGED DESKTOP POOL

IMPORTING EXISTING VIRTUAL DESKTOPS

CREATE MANAGED DESKTOPS DYNAMICALLY