Create a VDI desktop pool

Perform this task to create a static, dynamic or manual VDI desktop pool.

Prerequisites

Make sure you have completed the following tasks in Space Console:

Select the VDI desktop type, configure basic desktop pool information, and then click Next: Login Info.

Desktop Pool Type: Select a desktop pool type. The following are supported VDI desktop pool types:

Static: To assign each user a dedicated desktop, select this option. A static desktop is persistent. All data and settings of its user will persist through a reboot.

Dynamic: To have a list of users share desktop resources, select this option. The desktops in a dynamic desktop pool are called dynamic desktops. They are dynamically assigned to users in the preauthorization list you configured for the pool. When the system receives a request from a preauthorized user, the system randomly selects a desktop from the dynamic desktop pool for that user. Dynamic desktops are not persistent. If a released dynamic desktop reboots, any data and previous user settings saved on it get lost. Dynamic desktop pools are applicable to public service scenarios such as public training and teaching and reading rooms in libraries.

Manual: To have a list of users share desktop resources and enable the desktop administrator to restore the desktops to a previous state, select this option. A manual desktop pool is analogous to a dynamic desktop pool except that the administrator can set restore points for future data and configuration restoration. The system does not clear the user data and configuration saved on a manual desktop after the user session is disconnected. The administrator must restore the desktop to a restore point as needed before assigning the desktop to a new user.

Desktop Prefix: Specify the prefix in the names of the desktops automatically deployed from the desktop image template. The deployed desktops will be named in prefix-random_number format.

Local Users: To create desktops for users managed in the local database or back-end LDAP authentication server of Space Console, select this option. This option is suitable in scenarios that do not perform domain-based management.

Domain Users: To create desktops for users in domain-based management scenarios, select this option.

Endpoint Users: To create desktops for users that use endpoint authentication, select this option. Endpoint authenticated users can access their cloud desktops as long as their endpoints pass authentication. They do not need to provide user account information for authentication. This option is suitable for public service scenarios that deploy desktops for guest users. Libraries and reading rooms are typical scenarios for this option.

If you do not specify a login account, users log in to their desktops by using their Workspace username and password.

If a login account is set, the desktop users log in to their Workspace clients with their respective Workspace username and password pairs, and connect to their desktops with the specified login account. If a desktop does not have the login account when a user connects to it, the desktop automatically creates the account and sets its password to the Workspace client password of the user. If the desktop already has the login account, the desktop replaces the existing login account password with the Workspace client password of the login user.

As a best practice, do not set a login account for domain users.

Cluster: To have the system automatically deploy desktops across hosts in a cluster for optimal resource usage, select this option. If you select this option, you must also select a cluster.

Host: To deploy desktops on selected hosts, select this option. If you select this option, you must also select hosts for desktop deployment.

System Disk Storage: Select a storage volume to store the system disks of the desktops. If cluster-based deployment is selected, make sure the cluster has shared storage accessible to all its hosts.

Initialization Type: Select an initialization method. Options are fast initialization and full initialization.

As a best practice, use full initialization only if each user requires a unique security identifier (SID) on a desktop. In any other situations, use fast initialization. For example, use fast initialization for local users and endpoint users. Select fast initialization or full initialization for domain users depending on the deployment requirements.

To use full initialization, make sure the desktop image is encapsulated by using Sysprep. Sysprep encapsulation is not required for fast initialization.

· You must use fast initialization if you are creating the VDI desktop pool for application servers.

· As a best practice, limit the number of desktops in each bulk deployment or start operation to three if full initialization is used.

· ARM hosts do not support full initialization.

Reboot After Release: To reboot and initialize a dynamic desktop after it is released back to the desktop pool, select this option. Do not enable shutting down thin clients with desktops in the authorization policy if you enable reboot after release.

Authorization Policy: Specify the default authorization policy applied to desktop users that do not have a user-specific authorization policy.

Authentication Server: Specify the authentication server name. This parameter is required for domain users.

OU: Specify the distinguished name (DN) of the organizational unit (OU) to which the domain users belong on the specified authentication server. This option is required if you configure the pool for domain users. When you specify this option, use the ou=value,dc=value,dc=value format. For example, to specify the test OU in the example.com domain, enter the ou=test,dc=example,dc=com string.

Deploy Now: To bulk deploy desktops immediately after the desktop pool is created, select this option.