Virtual applications (office scenario)

Overview

Application virtualization decouples applications from the underlying operating system and  and deliver the applications as a service to end users. Users can use the applications bound to their user accounts on any endpoints without having to worry about installation or security issues.

Restrictions and guidelines

• ARM hosts do not support virtual applications.

• When you deploy an application server, follow these guidelines:

• The application server must run a Windows Server operating system, preferably Windows Server 2012 R2. Before configuring the application server, upload a Windows Server system image file to create the system image for the application server.

• Deploy the RDS service. If the RDS service is not available, users cannot connect to the server or use the applications published by the server.

• Virtual applications are available only for domain users.

• Virtual applications support only VDI desktop images.

• Check the H3C Workspace cloud desktop software and hardware compatibility matrixes for the supported virtual applications.

Configuration workflow

1. Create a system image.

2. Create a VDI desktop image based on the system image.

3. Build the desktop image:

• Install an operating system and application software.

• Configure DNS settings and install the VDI agent .

• Configure system optimization settings.

4. Create a desktop pool based on the built desktop image. A desktop pool for virtual applications must use the VDI desktop type and domain users as the desktop assignment target.

5. Deploy cloud desktops based on the desktop image in the desktop pool. Install the RDS service on a cloud desktop if you want to create an application server by using the cloud desktop.

6. Create an application server based on a deployed cloud desktop. After Space Console connects to the application server, you can select the applications on the server to publish to end users.

7. Create an application pool to deliver the applications on the application server to designated users or user groups.

8. After logging in through the Space Console client, a user can view the applications published by the application server on the Virtual Applications page and use the applications as needed.

 

You can use the bulk deployed cloud desktops (steps 1 through 5) to create multiple application servers to publish the same set of applications for load balancing.

 

Application servers

You can create an application server based on a cloud desktop and manage the application server as needed. You can configure each application server to publish all or a subset of the applications installed on the cloud desktop.

Prerequisites

Before you configure an application server, complete the following tasks:

• Create a system image. In the system image, select Windows for Operating System and select a Windows Server version from the Version list. For more information, see "Create a system image."

1. Create an image source VM. For more information, see "Create a VDI image source VM."

2. Build the VDI image source VM. For more information, see "Build a VDI image source VM."

 

After you install the operating system and applications on the VDI image source VM, set the DNS server address to the IP address of the authentication server before you proceed to install CAStools and VdiAgent and configure optimization settings on the VM.

 

3. Create a VDI desktop pool. For more information, see "Create a VDI desktop pool."

 

When creating the VDI desktop pool, select Domain Users for Assign Desktop To and Fast for Initialization Type.

 

4. Deploy cloud desktops that can be used to create application servers based on the desktop image in the desktop pool. For more information, see "Deploy a VDI desktop pool."

5. Go to the deployed cloud desktop list page to install the RDS service on each cloud desktop to be used as an application server:

1. Enable remote access to the cloud desktop.

2. Click  in the tool bar and navigate to the Server Manager > Dashboard page.

3. Select Manager > Add Roles and Features.

4. Review the requirements on the Before you begin page, and click Next.

5. On the Select Installation Type page, select Remote Desktop Services installation.

6. On the Select deployment type page, select Quick Start and click Next.

7. Select Session-Based Desktop Deployment and click Next.

8. Select the server where the RDS service will be deployed and click Next.

9. Review the installation settings and click Install.

10. When the installation is finished, click Close to close the Add Roles and Features wizard.

Create an application server

1. From the navigation pane, select Applications > Application Center > Virtual Applications > Application Servers.

2. Click Create.

3. Enter a name for the application server, and then enter the IP address of the cloud desktop you want to use for the application server. You can view the IP addresses of deployed cloud desktops on the Desktop Pools page.

4. Click Connect. Space Console will connect to the application server, obtain the applications installed on the server, and display the detected applications on the application list below.

5. If the application list is still empty after Space Console has connected to the application server, manually add applications installed on the server one by one:

1. Click Add.

2. In the dialog box that opens, specify a unique name for the application and the storage path of the application's executable file on the server.

3. Click OK.

6. To obtain the latest application information on the server, click Sync.

7. Select the applications on the application list you want to publish to end users, and click OK.

Edit an application server

1. From the navigation pane, select Applications > Application Center > Virtual Applications > Application Servers.

2. Click More in the Actions column for the target application server, and then select Edit from the menu.

3. Edit the application server settings as needed and click OK. For information about the application server parameters, see "Create an application server."

Delete application servers

1. From the navigation pane, select Applications > Application Center > Virtual Applications > Application Servers.

2. Perform either of the following tasks:

• To delete multiple application servers, select the target application servers, and then click Delete above the application server list.

• To delete a single application server, click More in the Actions column for the server, and then select Delete from the menu.

3. In the dialog box that opens, click OK.

Change the priority of an application server

An application can be published by multiple application servers. When the CPU usage or memory usage of an application server reaches or exceeds 85%, Space Console will dynamically schedule the application to run on the next highest priority server for load balancing.

Application servers are displayed on the application server list in descending order of priority from top to bottom. You can change the position of an application server on the list to adjust its priority.

1. From the navigation pane, select Applications > Application Center > Virtual Applications > Application Servers.

The application server list displays the application servers in descending order of priority from top to bottom.

2. Click Prioritize in the Actions column for the target server to move the server one place up the prioritized application server list.

Open the management console of an application server

Perform this task to open the management console of an application server. Through the management console, you can install or remove applications on the server.

 

An application can be published by multiple application servers for dynamic load balancing. To update such an application, you must update the application on all the servers and make sure the application installation directories on the servers are the same.

 

1. From the navigation pane, select Applications > Application Center > Virtual Applications > Application Servers.

2. Click Console in the Actions column for the target application server.

View application server details

1. From the navigation pane, select Applications > Application Center > Virtual Applications > Application Servers.

2. Click the name of the target application server to view its details.

Application pools

An application pool is used to deliver applications published by application servers to designated users or user groups.

Create an application pool

1. From the navigation pane, select Applications > Application Center > Virtual Applications > Application Pools.

2. Click Create.

3. Enter a name and an optional description for the application pool, select the users or groups of user to whom applications in the pool can be delivered, and then click Next:Apps.

4. Select the applications in the application pool. Available options include all applications published by all application servers. Click Next:Preview.

5. Review the application pool settings and click OK.

Edit an application pool

1. From the navigation pane, select Application > Application Center > Virtual Applications > Application Pools.

2. Click Edit in the Actions column for the target application pool,.

3. Follow the wizard to edit the application pool settings as needed.

4. Click OK.

Delete application pools

1. From the navigation pane, select Application > Application Center > Virtual Applications > Application Pools.

2. Perform either of the following tasks:

• To delete multiple application pools, select the target application pools, and then click Delete above the application pool list.

• To delete a single application pool, click Delete in the Actions column for the application pool.

3. In the dialog box that opens, click OK.

View application pool details

1. From the navigation pane, select Application > Application Center > Virtual Applications > Application Pools.

2. Click the name of the target application pool to view its details.

Applications

The application list page displays all applications that are published by application servers and delivered to end users. You can enable or disable individual applications on the application list. Users cannot use an application after the application is disabled.

Enable or disable an application

1. From the navigation pane, select Applications > Application Center > Virtual Applications > Applications.

2. Perform either of the following tasks:

• To bulk enable or disable applications, select the target applications, and then click Enable or Disable above the application list.

• To enable or disable a single application, click Enable or Disable in the Actions column for the application.