Deskpool Administrator Guide Version: V2.1.x

Transcription

1 Deskpool Administrator Guide Version: V2.1.x Shenzhen Jieyun Technology Co., Ltd( Last updated: March 18, 2015

2 Shenzhen Jieyun Technology Co., Ltd( All rights reserved. Any party or individual shall not copy or disseminate this document in part or in whole without our written permission. Trademark statement Other trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned in this document are owned by their respective holders.

3 Table of Contents 1 PREFACE INTRODUCTION System Architecture System Deployment UNDERSTANDING THE DESKPOOL DESKTOP MANAGEMENT MODELS Desktop Types Deskpool Desktop Management Models Template Desktop Pool Desktop Pool Properties Dedicated Desktop Lifecycle Shared Desktop Lifecycle Automated Desktop Assignment vgpu DESKPOOL DESKTOP MANAGEMENT Administrator Login Deskpool Initialization Wizard System Initialization Template Creation Pool Creation User Account Creation Home Templates Pools Servers Users Configuring User Database Local Database Mode AD Domain Controller Mode Desktops Desktop List Pool Overview System System Settings Log License Gateway Update\Patch Events Page 3 of 68

4 5 USER LOGIN User Login Screen RDP Connection Settings Desktop Thumbnail VNC Client Bind Account DATA BACKUP AND RECOVERY Backup Templates Import Templates Export Data SYSTEM MIGRATION DESKPOOL CLUSTER APPENDIX Login to Deskpool Desktop System SSH Login to Deskpool VM Console Setting Deskpool VM's IP Address Manually USB Device Redirection Configuration for the integration of Deskpool and Active Directory Service Page 4 of 68

5 Preface This document provides guidance to administrators in managing Deskpool desktop virtualization system, requiring basic Windows installation and maintenance experience. Experience with popular virtualization platforms, such as XenServer, ESXi, Hyper-V or KVM, will prove helpful for understanding this guide. Format description: XXX Menu or button names XXX Window names Important prompts * Interface elements with an asterisk cannot be empty Other references: 1. Deskpool Rapid Deployment Guide by Jieyun Technology 2. A Guide to Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V Deployment and Management by Ma Bofeng 3. VMware, Citrix and Microsoft Virtualization Technology: Technical Comments and Practice by Ma Bofeng 4. Citrix XenServer 6.0 Administration Essential Guide by Daniele Tosatto 2 Introduction Deskpool is a host-based virtualization solution. It delivers virtualized desktop experience, with Windows virtual machines running on Deskpool desktop virtualization servers; It provides users with exclusive virtual machine resources as well as complete PC desktop experience; It allows users to access desktop via a browser (Windows-based browsers can be IE, Firefox or Chrome.) or thin client. Please refer to the information released by Jieyun Technology for a thin client compatibility list; It provides a browser-based management interface. 2.1 System Architecture Developed with All-in-One design concept, Deskpool desktop virtualization management system is delivered and deployed in the form of a virtual machine (virtual device). As shown in Figure 2-1, a single server hosts a hypervisor (virtual operating system), a Deskpool virtual machine and Windows virtual machines. The server provides computing servers and local storage resources. The Deskpool virtual machine is the provider of various desktop virtualization management features, including: user management, template management, desktop pool management, virtual machine management and other management features such as connectivity, performance and event log. Externally, the Deskpool virtual machine provides Web access interface, allowing administrators to access the management interface via a web browser. Page 5 of 68

6 Figure 2-1 Deskpool system architecture Deskpool manages Windows virtual machines on the server, including VM creation, distribution, shutdown, reboot, deletion, and status monitoring. A Deskpool desktop agent module is incorporated in Windows virtual machines, through which, Deskpool management system can get desktop login status or perform login and logout commands. As shown in Figure 2-2, Deskpool supports cluster deployment. A Deskpool desktop cluster comprises multiple servers hosting the same type of Hypervisor and Deskpool virtual machines. The servers are interconnected via Ethernet, while the Deskpool virtual machines form a desktop management cluster. Figure 2-2 Deskpool cluster The publishing of Deskpool virtual machines is based on Linux. Hence, it is usually recommended that Deskpool virtual machines be configured with a static IP to ensure the effective management by administrators and the connection stability of the cluster network. You can choose any virtualization manager (Hypervisor) according to your specific needs. However, you must install the same type of Hypervisor in one Deskpool desktop cluster. By employing an open virtualization policy, Deskpool desktop virtualization platform is compatible with both Citrix XenServer and Microsoft Hyper-V. 2.2 System Deployment Figure2-3 shows a typical deployment of Deskpool desktop system. Multiple servers hosting Deskpool form a cluster, where the servers providing local storage capacity are interconnected by an IP network, in which a DHCP server allocates dynamic IP addresses to virtual desktops. Page 6 of 68

7 Figure 2-3 A typical deployment of Deskpool desktop virtualization An Active Directory domain controller is also included in the network for scenarios that require domain management and control to provide user login authentication. Deskpool desktop management system seamlessly integrates itself with AD domain controller, allowing users to directly log on to Windows desktops via Deskpool desktop login screen without entering login information twice. Usually, file sharing servers are provided in the user's desktop IT environment for backing up Deskpool desktop templates, system logs, system configuration data and other information. 3 Understanding the Deskpool Desktop Management Models 3.1 Desktop Types Deskpool can manage two types of desktop: Dedicated: It is also known as static desktop or persistent desktop. Once assigned to users, all the configurations made by users to these virtual machines will be permanently preserved. Persistent desktops will not be automatically destroyed by the system, unless the administrator manually does so. Shared: It is also known as stateless, provisioned or non-persistent desktop and usually allocated to temporary users. Deskpool desktop management system automatically maintains the lifecycle policy of shared desktops, deleting or resetting shared virtual machines in accordance with pre-configured rules. 3.2 Deskpool Desktop Management Models The three-tier desktop management model of Deskpool: Original image: This is the Windows virtual machine initially installed on or imported to the virtualization platform (Hypervisor) by the administrator for the creation of Deskpool templates; Template: A master image (Golden Image) created from the "original image". It is a desktop virtual machine template pre-installed with Windows operating system, application software and Deskpool desktop agent; Desktop pool: A set of desktops of the same type, with the same template and the same desktop virtual machine specifications. It is created by the administrator. As Figure 3-1 shows, the administrator created a Windows 7 virtual machine with a size of 50GB on the virtual operating system. An "R&D Department" Golden Image based on this virtual machine, with desktop agent and software for the R&D department, is created in Deskpool virtual desktop management system. On basis of this, the administrator then created three desktop pools, namely "Software Development Department", "Hardware Development Department" and "Test Department." Page 7 of 68

8 Figure 3-1 An example of Deskpool s desktop model 3.3 Template Deskpool template is a standard Deskpool Golden Image pre-installed with software and Deskpool desktop agent. It inherits the operating system of the "Original virtual machine image" and the its size. As Figure 3-2 shows, creating a Deskpool template involves five steps: Figure 3-2 Create a template 1) Import an image: Make a copy of the "Original virtual machine image" to serve as "template image". Then close the "Original virtual machine image" and start "template image" to create the template; 2) Install the agent: Install Deskpool desktop agent on the "template image". The system supports both automatic installation and manual installation; 3) Edit the template: Install software on the "template image" according to your needs and configure personalized settings; 4) Prepare the template: Complete system preparation, and create a "temporary template" from the "template image"; 5) Test the template: Test the "temporary template". If it works perfectly, then save it as Deskpool desktop template and publish it to Deskpool. During the process of template creation, you need to specify what type of desktop the template would be used to create. This may involve two different cases: 1) For creating shared desktops only. Page 8 of 68

9 2) For creating both shared and dedicated virtual desktops. After the template is created, you can update the template by editing it. Deskpool management system can upgrade, publish apps to, or implement user's desktop settings of new desktops in a unified manner. After the template is created, you can also create new templates by copying. Deskpool template is stored as a template file on the server's local disk. In a Deskpool cluster, the template file will be synchronized to other nodes so that you can create virtual machines on basis of the same template. Before deleting a Deskpool template, you need to delete all the desktop pools referencing the template to ensure that no desktop virtual machine is using the template as its Golden Image. 3.4 Desktop Pool Desktop Pool Properties Desktop pool is the basic unit for Deskpool desktop automated management as well as the grouping container of desktop virtual machines. VMs in a pool share the same properties, including: The same template The same desktop type The same vcpu, vgpu and memory specs The same naming rules The same peripheral switching policy The same initial configuration The same desktop refresh policy The same virtual network resources Pool configuration involves two important parameters: Maximum desktops: the maximum number of desktops that can be created in a desktop pool. Pre-created desktops: the maximum number of desktops that need to be pre-created in a desktop pool. Deskpool ensures consistency between idle desktops in a desktop pool and this parameter, provided that the total space occupation is within system capacity and the desktops in the desktop pool does not exceed the maximum total number of desktops. Desktops are pre-created in a desktop pool to accelerate the speed of desktop assignment, avoiding a low-efficiency situation where temporary desktops are created at users' request. The system starts to manage a desktop pool upon its creation. You can create an appropriate number of idle desktops to the desktop pool. There are two types of desktop pool with different VM lifecycle management policies: Dedicated pool: All desktops in such a desktop pool are persistent desktops, which have to be created from templates that support persistent desktops. Once assigned, desktop virtual machines in the persistent desktop pool can be permanently owned and used by their users. Shared pool: A desktop pool where all the desktops are shared desktops. Once allocated to users, shared desktops can be refreshed in accordance with different VM lifecycle management policies Dedicated Desktop Lifecycle As Figure3-3 shows, the lifecycle of a dedicated desktop may involve various states: Page 9 of 68

10 Logout Restart or shutdown Logged in inin Login to VM Logged out Manual deletion Manual deletion Assignment Initial state (Not created) Creation Deletion Idle Figure 3-3 State transition of dedicated desktops State Transition of Dedicated Desktop Lifecycle: Creation: When the number of idle desktop is less than that of the pre-created, and the maximum number of desktops is not reached, the system automatically starts the creation of virtual desktops. Once created, the virtual desktop is in the "Idle" state. Assignment: When a user logs in Deskpool and clicks on a desktop pool, the system will choose a idle desktop from the pool and assign to the user. The virtual desktop moves into "Logged out" state. Login: When a non-administrator user logs on to Windows desktop virtual machines, desktops state will move into "Logged in". Logout: When a user logs off from a remote desktop session, the virtual desktop will move into "Logged out". When a user logs out of, restarts or shuts down a virtual desktop, the remote desktop session will be canceled, restoring the virtual desktop to "Logged out" state. Manual deletion: Desktops that have been assigned (in "Logged out" and "Logged in" states) cannot be automatically deleted from the system. They can only be manually deleted by an administrator. When the administrator modifies the number of pre-created desktops, or the maximum number of virtual desktops in the desktop pool policy, some "Idle" desktops might be removed, but those already assigned to users will not be affected Shared Desktop Lifecycle Shared desktop assignment: Deskpool supports two ways to assign shared desktops: Initial assignment (Initial Assign): Allocating idle desktops to users from a shared desktop pool. Reassignment (Re-assign): If the initial assignment is not successful, the system can allocate unused (in the "on logout" state) shared desktops to other users. Refresh policy of shared desktop: Reclaiming is the reverse operation of assignment. It refers to the cancel of userdesktop association by Deskpool management system, and a re-disposal of corresponding desktop virtual machines. Deskpool refresh policy defines when and how to refresh desktops. Desktops can be refreshed on these occasions: Refresh on logout: This means a virtual desktop will be refreshed when its user logs off from Windows (restart or shut down a virtual will also result in logout). Page 10 of 68

11 Refresh manually: The system does not refresh a desktop when the user logs off. Instead, the desktop needs to be refreshed manually by the administrator. There are two ways for the system to dispose of a desktop in a refresh on logout situation: Deletion: Deleting a virtual desktop that has been logged off from. Quick reset: This refers to shut down a desktop virtual machine that has recently been logged off from, then quickly reset it to the "recreated" state. Note: 1. Logout means a user logs out of Windows. 2. Quick reset will restore the virtual machine to the snapshot generated during initial creation of the desktop. Do not refresh on logout Reassignment Logged in Login to VM Logged out Refresh on (Deletion) logout Refresh on logout (quick reset) Recreated Manual deletion Delete recreated desktop (Template expired) Initial state (Not created) Creation Deletion Manual deletion Assignment Start recreated desktop Idle Figure 3-4 State transition of shared desktops State Transition of Shared Desktop Lifecycle: Creation: When the number of idle desktops is less than that of the pre-created, and the maximum number of desktops is not reached, the system will automatically start the creation of virtual desktops. Desktops will be in "Idle" state when created. Assignment: When a user logs in Deskpool and clicks on a desktop pool, the system will choose an idle desktop from the pool and assign it to the user. Then, the desktop will go into "Logged out" state. Login: When non-administrator users log in Windows desktop virtual machines, the desktops will move into "Logged in" state. Logout: Deskpool will reclaim shared desktops in accordance with policies when users logs off from Windows. Such policies include: Do not reclaim on logout: The desktop will move from "Logged in" into "Logged out". Delete on logout: Deskpool refresh a virtual desktop by deleting it. Quick reset on logout: Deskpool shuts down a desktop virtual machine, and quickly resets it to "Refreshed" state. Start recreated desktop: When Deskpool detects it is necessary to create more idle desktops for a desktop pool, it will start desktops in "recreated" state to supplement the pool. Page 11 of 68

12 Delete recreated desktop: Deskpool detects and deletes "recreated" virtual machines that are referencing an expired Golden Image. Manual deletion: The administrator manually deletes virtual machines in "Logged out" and "Logged in" states. Deletion: "Idle" virtual machines automatically deleted by the system or manually by the administrator. Reassignment: If there is no idle desktop available when a user requests, the system will assign desktops in "Logged out" state to the user instead. 3.5 Automated Desktop Assignment As Figure 3-5 shows, in creating a user account, the administrator will associate it with one or more desktop pool, which means the user can get a desktop virtual machine from each desktop pool. When a user logs on to Deskpool for the first time, the system will list all the desktop pools associated with him. If a user requests a desktop virtual machine, Deskpool will automatically assign an idle desktop in the corresponding pool to him or her. If no idle desktop is available in the pool, but the pool quota is not yet full, the system will automatically create a new virtual desktop and assign it to the user. Deskpool will maintain the user-desktop association until the end of relevant desktop virtual machines' lifecycle. Deskpool automated desktop assignment simulates management of physical PCs. Users get desktop virtual machines from the desktop pool just like physically getting new PCs from the "warehouse" of the department. The machine can either be a dedicated office desktop persistently used by the user, or a shared office desktop that needs to be returned after every instance of use. Figure 3-5 Desktop assigning process 3.6 vgpu Deskpool supports Hyper-V 2012 R2 platform's vgpu feature. As shown in Figure 3-6, you can use RemoteFX in remote desktop connection by installing GPU card in Hyper-V server and configuring RemoteFX 3D video adapter for desktop virtual machines. Prerequisites for enabling RemoteFX in remote desktop connection include: Using Windows Hyper-V 2012 R2 as Hypervisor, with remote desktop hosting services installed; Windows virtual machines must be Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8 or higher; Page 12 of 68

13 Server CPU must support SLAT technology; The server has an GPU card or integrated GPU resources; The server has the right motherboard and GPU driver; The thin clients support RemoteFX. Figure 3-6 Hyper-V-based vgpu Deskpool treats GPU resources as one of the desktop pool's hardware specs. If the template of the desktop pool has GPU resources (RemoteFX 3D video adapter), then the administrator can configure the GPU parameters of the desktop pool, including "enable or disable RemoteFX", the number and resolution of monitors for one desktop virtual machine, etc. Deskpool calculates GPU capacity on basis of graphic memory size. The graphic memory consumption of each virtual desktop is shown in the table below: Hyper-V 2012 R2 vgpu graphic memory calculation table Resolution 1 Monitor 2 Monitors 3 Monitors 4 Monitors 1024 x MB 52 MB 58 MB 70 MB 1280 x MB 85 MB 95 MB 115 MB 1600 x MB 126 MB 142 MB Unsupported 1920 x MB 150 MB 168 MB Unsupported 2560 x MB 268 MB Unsupported Unsupported If you have configured the GPU parameters of a pool, virtual desktops with "RemoteFX 3D video adapter" will be precreated in the pool by default. When Deskpool detects that currently running desktops have occupied all GPU resources, it would not create more virtual machines with GPU resources until there are idle GPU resources released. Page 13 of 68

14 4 Deskpool Desktop Management 4.1 Administrator Login After Deskpool deployment is complete, the administrator can enter Deskpool login screen via a web browser. As Figure 4-1 shows, you can open the login screen by entering " Deskpool virtual machine IP address" in the address bar of the browser. Figure 4-1 Login screen The default administrator username and password of Deskpool desktop management system are: admin / deskpool. To change the administrator password, please refer to Section Deskpool Initialization Wizard When the administrator logs on to Deskpool desktop management system for the first time, or logs in one with incomplete initialization settings, Deskpool will automatically start the initialization wizard to guide the administrator through initial setup and the creation of templates, desktop pools and user accounts. As Figure 4-2 shows, Deskpool initialization includes four phases: system initialization, template creation, pool creation and user creation, each including a number of smaller steps. The wizard will guide the administrator through a series of steps represented by the blue dotted line in completing system initialization, making the first template and desktop pool, as well as the creation of user accounts. Page 14 of 68

15 Figure 4-2 A standard flow diagram of Deskpool initialization wizard Figure 4-3 shows the wizard pops up when you log on to Deskpool for the first time. click [OK] to start the wizard. Figure 4-3 Deskpool initialization wizard System Initialization As Figure 4-4 shows, a system initialization wizard prompt illustrates the four tasks required to complete system initialization: configuring hypervisor; configuring storage and network; configuring cluster; and configuring user database. Click [Continue] to start configuring hypervisor. Page 15 of 68

16 Figure 4-4 System configuration prompt Configure hypervisor: As shown in Figure 4-5. Select the type of hypervisor for the current host server (usually the system automatically detects the type of hypervisor) in Hypervisor. Then enter the management IP address of the hypervisor in [IP Address]. In [Username] and [Password], you need to enter the administrator's login information. If you are running XenServer as hypervisor, you need to enter the username and password of the root user. As for Microsoft Hyper-V, enter the Administrator username and password instead. Deskpool will verify the correctness of configuration information when you click [Next]. If validated, you will move on to configure Storage & Network. Otherwise, it will prompt the cause of failure. Figure 4-5 Hypervisor configuration Configure storage & network: As Figure 4-6 shows, Storage & Network is where you can select storage and network resources. In a drop down box, the system will list the storage resource pools and network resource pools available in current server system. Deskpool desktops usually use local storage resources on the hosting server. Their network resources, which must be supported by the hosting server, can be physical network interface, bound logical interface or VLAN. With storage and network pools determined, click [Next] to enter the cluster configuration panel. Page 16 of 68

17 Figure 4-6 The Storage & Network configuration Configure cluster: The cluster configuration panel is shown in Figure 4-7. If the current Deskpool server runs as a standalone system, please select [Create a new Deskpool cluster]. If you wish to add the current server to an existing Deskpool cluster, please select [Add to a Deskpool cluster]. The system will ask you to enter the IP address and the administrator password of the master node in the existing Deskpool cluster. For a detailed description, please refer to Chapter 8 of this manual. Click [Next] to enter the user database configuration panel. Figure 4-7 Cluster configuration ` Configure user database: Deskpool desktop management system supports two user management modes. One is based-on Deskpool's local user database, with Deskpool keeping account information and performing user authentication. The other is based on AD domain controller, which performs user authentication instead. This mode can handle the authentication and login of both Deskpool and Windows desktops in a unified manner. Page 17 of 68

18 Figure 4-8 User database configuration (local user database mode) Figure 4-8 shows a case where user database mode is selected. However, you need to configure the domain server information as shown in Figure 4-9 when using Microsoft Active Directory Domain to manage user database. You must enter the domain information, administrator account as well as optional domain server IP addresses. Before moving on to the next step, Deskpool will verify the validity of the domain database configuration information. You cannot proceed to the next step until verification is successful. You can set up multiple domain server IP addresses so that when a connection failure occurs, Deskpool can try connecting to other domain servers. Note: When the Deskpool system deployed with the AD domain controller, there are some preparatory works should be done except for adding domain users account. Please refer to section 9.5 for detail information: Figure 4-9 User database configuration (AD domain controller mode) Page 18 of 68

19 4.2.2 Template Creation After system initialization is complete, you will go to a wizard window for creating templates as shown in Figure The process of creating a template is the same process of making a master disk image (Golden Image) for desktop virtual machines. Figure 4-10 Template creation wizard Deskpool creates a template in two ways: Standard: Creating a Desktop template from the original Windows image, involving a five-step process from "Import image,"install agent", "Edit template", "Prepare template" to "Test template". Fast: Rapidly creating a template from Desktop backups, involving "Import image" and "Test template" only. The fast process is usually used in reinstalling Deskpool system to avoid re-creation of the desktop template. For information regarding backing up Deskpool templates, please refer to Section 6.1, "Template backup". Standard Process of Desktop Template Creation: Import an image: As Figure 4-11 shows, select [Create Deskpool template from a desktop VM] to start Deskpool template creation. Potential virtual machines for importing will be shown in a list. When a virtual machine is selected for template creation, the status bar will indicate whether or not the virtual machine can be used to make Deskpool desktop templates. If the corresponding virtual machine is not eligible, click [Deskpool template tool] and follow the prompts to complete desktop settings. You can also click the [Help] button to get help online. Page 19 of 68

20 Figure 4-11 Virtual machine image importation With the virtual machine to be imported selected, you can enter the name and description of the template. If you want to manually install Deskpool desktop agent, you need to click [Install agent manually], otherwise the system will automatically install desktop agent by default, skipping the second step shown in Figure Note: A Windows virtual machine eligible for template creation must meet following conditions (see Rapid Deployment Guide): The Windows virtual machine is running; The Windows virtual machine must be Enterprise Edition or higher, installed with SP1, and activated. To enable RemoteFX feature, it must be Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 7 Ultimate or Windows 8; The Windows virtual machine must be installed with necessary VM enhancement tools, such as XenServer Tools, Hyper-V Integration Services; The Windows virtual machine uses dynamic IP configuration. For XenServer, the virtual machine's network interface should be Device 0 only; If you want to enable the vgpu feature, you need to add RemoteFX 3D video adapter hardware resources (Hyper-V platform); Make sure you have the administrator password of the Windows virtual machine; Make sure the Windows virtual machine has enabled "remote desktop", and network authentication is disabled; Make sure "file and printer sharing" is enabled on the Windows virtual machine. If Deskpool Windows virtual machines and Windows virtual machines are in different subnets, you need to enable sharing across subnets as well; Make sure "remote desktop" and "file and printer sharing" are allowed by the firewall; If you are using Windows XP, make sure that local security model is "classic". Install agent: As shown in Figure 4-12, if the automatic installation is successful, this window will be skipped; if the agent fails to be installed automatically, the system will bring you to this window and ask you to install the agent manually. Page 20 of 68

21 Figure 4-12 Agent installation To manually install the agent during the creation of a template, click the [Connect] button as shown in Figure 4-12 to log on to the template virtual machine; then run the browser in the virtual machine to access the URL shown in the Figure 4-12 window; download Deskpool agent installation package and manually install the agent; disconnect the template virtual machine after the installation is done; return to the window shown in Figure 4-12, and click [Next] to continue with the template creation. off. Note: After you install the agent manually, disconnect the template virtual machine, but do not turn it Edit the template: This is where you customize the template image and install application software. If the Microsoft AD domain database is adopted, you should add the template computer into the domain and add the Domain Users group into local Administrator group. Figure 4-13 shows the three steps to edit a template image: Page 21 of 68

22 Figure 4-13 Template editing Step 1: Connect to the template virtual machine. Click [Connect] and enter the Windows administrator account and password. When successfully connected to the desktop of the template virtual machine, complete the second step on the template virtual machine; Step 2: Install application software and configure personalized settings on the template virtual machine. When the Microsoft AD domain database is adopted, you have to add the template computer into the domain and add the Domain Users group into local Administrator group (Please refer to the section 9.5 for detail information), then disconnect desktop connection when finished; Step 3: Verify some significant information before moving on. Figure 4-14 shows five items that have to be confirmed for the current template virtual machine. Repeat the Step 2 when you need to reedit the template virtual machine. Figure 4-14 Confirm list Page 22 of 68

23 Note: If the Deskpool system deployed with the Microsoft AD domain controller, there are some preparatory works should be done except for adding domain users account. Please refer to section 9.5 for detail information: If some applications that could affect firewall settings are installed during template editing stage, the "remote desktop" settings under "Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall" might be changed. For example, during the installation of Microsoft Security Essential on Windows 7, the "remote desktop" permission will be disabled by default. Hence, the administrator must make ensure that the "remote desktop" port will not be blocked during template editing. With all three steps completed, click the [Next] shown in Figure 4-13 to continue with the template creation process. Prepare the template: In preparing the template, as shown in Figure 4-15, you need to click [Prepare template] when a template type is selected. The system will start template preparation, which mainly involves following tasks: (1) Reset the virtual machine template (2) Generate a temporary template (3) Create a test virtual machine on basis of the temporary template Note: Template preparation normally takes a few minutes. Please be patient. Figure 4-15 Template preparation Test the template: In the template test window shown in Figure 4-16, you can click [Connect] button to connect to the test virtual machine created during template preparation stage to test Page 23 of 68

24 whether the virtual machine, applications and configurations are normal. If the test is successful, click [Save] to generate a formal template. You can click [Previous] to go back to re-edit template. Figure 4-16 Template test Fast Process of Desktop Template Creation: Import an image: When you choose to [Import a Deskpool template file], the window will prompt conditions that a Deskpool template has to meet for a direct importation (Figure 4-17). You are to select a template that can be imported from the template list, then enter a new template name and description. Usually, "Import a Deskpool template file" is selected when reinstalling the whole system, and the template being imported is a back up of the original Deskpool template. Please refer to Section6.1, "Template backup" for further information. Figure 4-17 Deskpool template importation Test the template: Click [Import] as shown in Figure 4-17, the system will verify the validity of the template. You would go directly to the template test state as shown in Figure 4-16 after verification. Should the test results are normal, click [Save] to complete template importation. Page 24 of 68

25 Note: If you wish to cancel the importation, just click the [Delete] button on the large icon of the template. Please refer to Section 4.4. Template Creation Progress Window: As shown in Figure 4-18, Deskpool will show the progress and state of the task in the process of creating a template. You can close the progress window, as the template creation task runs in the back ground. You can also click the [Edit] button on the template icon to view the progress again. Figure 4-18 Template creation progress Pool Creation With the first template successfully created, Deskpool will take you to the desktop pool creation window as shown in Figure Click [Continue] to enter the configuration window shown in Figure Creating a desktop pool is divided into two steps: "general settings" and "policies configuration." Page 25 of 68

26 Figure 4-19 Pool creation wizard Configure general settings: As Figure 4-20 shows, the basic information about a desktop pool includes: Pool name: The globally unique name for a desktop pool; Template: Select a Deskpool desktop template for the desktop pool, in which all the desktops will be created from the template; Select a network: By default, a pool will use network resources configured at the initialization of the system. The user, however, can also specify a particular network resource pool for each desktop. Note: Since the Deskpool virtual machine needs to communicate with each desktop, make sure that the network where each desktop pool resides can communicate with the network that includes the Deskpool virtual machine when specifying a particular network resources for each desktop pool. Description: The description of a desktop pool; VM prefix name: A VM name consists of a prefix and a suffix. This is where you enter the prefix name of all desktop virtual machines in the pool; VM suffix name: The suffix names of desktop virtual machines in a Deskpool desktop pool are sequentially increasing numbers which can be entered here. For example: If you fill in the prefix "Test" and the suffix "01", the first desktop virtual machine to be created will be named "Testxx", in which "xx" is a random number between 00 and 99. Memory: The memory resources allocated when each desktop virtual machine is created in a desktop pool; CPUs: The CPU resources allocated when each desktop virtual machine is created in a desktop pool; Cores per CPU: The number of cores assigned to each CPU of a virtual machine. The number of vcpus equals to "CPUs" multiplied by "cores per CPU"; Peripheral device redirection: There are two kinds of peripheral redirection, redirection of RDP resources (hard drives, printers, data ports, smart cards) and Deskpool USB device redirection (other USB devices). See Section 9.4; Page 26 of 68

27 Enable RemoteFX: GPU sharing option (for Hyper-V), appears only when the template is provided with RemoteFX 3D video adapter. If you enable RemoteFX, all desktop virtual machines in the pool will be provided with RemoteFX 3D video adapter, unless GPU resources are fully distributed. Monitors: The number of monitors connected to remote desktops, its default value being 1; Resolution: The display resolution of the monitors connected to remote desktops. Make sure that this parameter is greater than the actual display resolution of the monitors; Color depth: There are two color depth options, 16 bpp and 32 bpp. Once set, all the desktops in the pool will use this parameter. However, If you enabled RemoteFX, color depth is automatically set to 32 bpp. Figure 4-20 General settings of a desktop pool Configure policies: As Figure 4-21 shows, pool policies include: Maximum desktops: The maximum desktop quota of a pool. The system ensures that the total number of desktop automatically distributed in the pool does not exceed this value. The maximum number of desktop virtual machines that a desktop pool can actually create subjects to system capacity and storage capacity as well. Pre-created desktops: The actual number of unassigned desktops created and maintained within system capacity. This value cannot be greater than "maximum desktops". Pool type: The type of desktops in a pool. All the desktops in a stateless pool are shared ones, as are all the desktops in a dedicated pool dedicated ones. For stateless pools, you can also configure refresh and reassign policies: Refresh on logout: Refreshing a desktop when the user logs out of Windows. Restarting or shutting down a virtual desktop will also result in logout, hence rendering the desktop refreshed. Refresh Manually: The system does not refresh a desktop when the user logs off. Instead, the desktop needs to be refreshed manually by the administrator. Reassign: The system reassigns desktops in "logged out" state to other users when there is a lack of unused desktops in the pool. Page 27 of 68

28 Quick reset: The system rapidly resets a reclaimed desktop to recreated state. If the desktop's template has not expired, it will be started as an idle desktop for use. Figure 4-21 Pool policy configuration User Account Creation After the pool is successfully created, the wizard will guide the administrator to create users and groups. See Section 4.7 for a detailed instruction. Please refer to Chapter5and log on to Deskpool VM as desktop user after the successful creation of user accounts. 4.3 Home Figure 4-22 shows the homepage of Deskpool management system. This is where global information and latest events are displayed. Global information includes: 1) System capacity: Current system consumption of computing resources. Deskpool will provide a comprehensive analysis of CPU occupancy and memory consumption to assess the usage proportion of system resources, which helps administrators to easily learn about current computational load. Administrators can adjust system capacity multiplier in the system page. Note: Since Deskpool creates virtual machines through linked clone, storage capacity consumption and the number of virtual machines are not proportional. Thus, the calculation of system capacity consumption does not involve the capacity of storage resources. Instead, users can learn about storage status from the server's bulletin board. 2) Pools: A summary of all the pools is displayed at the home page, including the total number of all the pools, the name and the maximum quota of each pool, as well as the quantity of desktops in use and idle desktops. Administrators can click the [+] icon to create a new desktop pool. 3) Templates: the template information display area shows the current number of templates. Administrators can click the [+] icon to create a new template. Page 28 of 68

29 4) Servers: The server tab shows the current number of servers in the Deskpool cluster. If you are using a single-server system, the number will be 1. Administrators can click the [+] icon to add servers to the cluster. 5) Groups: the group information display area shows the current number of groups. Administrators can click the [+] icon to add groups. 6) Users: the group information display area shows the current number of desktop users. Administrators can click the [+] icon to add users. The event list shown at the bottom of the home page displays a record of latest system events. The maximum number of events on display is 50 by default. Figure 4-22 Homepage of Deskpool management 4.4 Templates The template management panel shown in Figure 4-23 lists out all the templates used by the current system. Administrators can click the [+] icon to start the template creation process described in Section Page 29 of 68

30 Figure 4-23 Deskpool template management The bulletin board as shown in Figure 4-24 displays the following information: Template Name: The name of the template; Windows icon: The icon of the operating system used by the template; Windows version: The version of Windows used by the template, such as Microsoft Windows 7 Professional; Image size: The size of the template in use. Desktops created from the image are of the same size; Progress of creation: The progress indication shown during template creation; Template file name: The name of a published template file, usually comprised of template name and edition name; Status: The current status of the template, including "initializing", "saving", "editing", "published" and "verifying"; Description: The general description of the template; Operation buttons: There are four buttons in the upper right corner of the panel, namely [Properties], [Edit], [Copy] and [Delete]. Click to execute corresponding operations. Page 30 of 68

31 Figure 4-24 Bulletin board on the template panel When you click the [Properties] button, a window as shown in Figure 4-25 will pop up to show detailed information of the template, including a list of all the pools that are referencing the template. Note: "Template file name" is the full name of a template displayed on the virtualization platform, usually comprised of template name and edition name. If you wish to back up the template, you can use virtualization management tools such as XenCenter, vsphere Client or Hyper-V to export the template. Figure 4-25 The template properties dialog Edit the template: Click the [Edit] button on the upper right corner of the template panel to edit the template. Please see Section for information on the standard process of template creation. Note: Template editing is to create a new version of the template from current template by means of linked clone. Too many linked clone versions will affect the performance of the virtual machine; After starting template editing, you can click the [Cancel] button on the template panel to quit editing; Deskpool will create new virtual machines from the new template without affecting the old virtual machine; Page 31 of 68

32 Copy the template: Click the [Copy] button on the upper right corner of the template panel to copy the template. A new copy of the template will be created and renamed. Delete the template: Click the [Delete] button on the upper right corner of the template panel to delete the template. If the template is being used by VMs, Deskpool will prompt that the template is not subject to deletion. Note: First, you need to set the number of pre-created VMs using the template to 0; Then, delete all the VMs referencing the template; Again, delete all the pools referencing the template; Last, delete the template itself. 4.5 Pools The pool management panel shown in Figure 4-26 lists out all the pools used by the current system. Administrators can click the [+] icon to start the pool creation process described in Section Figure 4-26 Deskpool pool management The bulletin board as shown in Figure 4-26 displays the following information: Pool name: The name of the pool; Windows icon: The icon of the operating system used by the pool; Template name: The name of the template referenced by the pool; Page 32 of 68

33 vcpu and memory: The specifications of the vcpu and memory of all the VMs in the pool; Desktop Overview: The quantity of all the desktops in the pool as well as all the desktops in use and idle are displayed here. Figure 4-27 Bulletin board on the pool panel Click the [Properties] button on the upper right corner of the pool panel to display the general settings window as shown in Figure You can learn about the settings of the template as well as adjust them. Delete the pool: Click the [Delete] button on the upper right corner of the pool panel to delete the pool. If there are VMs in the pool, Deskpool will prompt that the pool is not subject to deletion. Note: First, you need to set the number of pre-created VMs in the pool to 0; Then, manually delete all the VMs that have been assigned in the pool; Make sure those desktops affected are no longer in use before deleting; Last, delete the pool itself. 4.6 Servers Figure 4-28 shows the server management interface. In a single-server system, there will be only one server on display. While in a cluster situation, the interface will show multiple servers. Click the [+] button to add more servers to the current cluster (Deskpool 1.0 supports single-server deployment only). Page 33 of 68

34 Figure 4-28 Deskpool server management The bulletin board as shown in Figure 4-29 displays the following information: Server hostname: The host name of the server, which is the same server that hosts hypervisor; Status: The current state of the server, may vary from "running" to "under maintenance"; Server capacity: Current consumption of the server's computing resources. Deskpool will provide a comprehensive analysis of CPU occupancy and memory consumption to assess the usage proportion of system resources, Administrators can adjust system capacity multiplier in the system page. Note: Since Deskpool creates virtual machines through linked clone, storage capacity consumption and the number of virtual machines are not proportional. Thus, the calculation of system capacity consumption does not involve the capacity of storage resources. Storage capacity: Consumption of the server's storage resources. Overview: A summary of the pool, including the total number of desktop virtual machines inside the server, the number of started virtual machines as well as the number of desktops that are starting. Page 34 of 68

35 Figure 4-29 Bulletin board on the server panel Click the [Properties] button on the upper right corner of the server panel to display a configuration window as shown in Figure You can learn about the basic information of the server and Deskpool service or configure and control Deskpool server. Figure4-30 The server properties The basic information of a server includes: Server name, memory, server address, CPU cores, CPU frequency and hypervisor. The basic information of Deskpool service includes: Storage resource pool, Network Settings, Deskpool Address, Status, Deskpool MAC Address and Deskpool Version. In Deskpool Service Control panel, you can: restart/stop Deskpool service, reboot Deskpool VM as well as restore Deskpool to factory settings. Click [Network Settings]to enter the interface as shown in Figure Page 35 of 68

36 Figure 4-31 Deskpool network settings Under normal circumstances, it is necessary to reserve a fixed IP address for the Deskpool VM. You can adjust the network configuration of Deskpool VM directly in the dialog box shown in Figure 4-31, or manually by logging on to the Deskpool VM console. Note: When Deskpool network configuration is modified, you need to restart the Deskpool VM and all the desktop VMs. Click [Hypervisor Configuration] to enter the hypervisor configuration interface as shown in Figure Under normal circumstances, it is rarely necessary to change the hypervisor configuration. After you modify the IP address or the administrator account information of the hypervisor, you need to restart the Deskpool VM. Figure 4-32 Server hypervisor configuration Click the [Templates] button on the server panel, a window as shown in Figure 4-33 will pop up, listing out all the desktop templates on the server. Page 36 of 68

37 Figure 4-33 The server's template list Click the [Desktops] button on the server panel, a window as shown in Figure 4-34 will pop up, listing out statistical information about VM and pools on the server respectively on the "Desktop List" and "Pool List" subpages. Figure 4-34 The server's desktop list 4.7 Users Configuring User Database Deskpool desktop management system supports two user management modes: local user database and AD domain controller. Local database mode: This mode is based-on Deskpool's local user database, with Deskpool keeping account information and performing user authentication. AD domain controller mode: In this mode, the AD domain controller, instead of Deskpool, performs user authentication. When a user logs on to Deskpool, the system will check if the user information has already been stored in the local database. If the answer is yes, it will send a request to the domain server for the feedback of authentication. Page 37 of 68

38 Note: When the Deskpool system deployed with the AD domain controller, there are some preparatory works should be done except for adding domain users account. Please refer to section 9.5 for detail information: How to configure user management mode: Configure user database during system initialization: See Step 4 of system initialization in Section Configure user database configuration on user management interface: Click the [Configure User Database] button on the page as shown in Figure 4-35 to configure user database in the ensuing pop-up window. See Section for detailed instruction. Figure 4-35 User management page Note: Deskpool cannot support two modes simultaneously, in that: When switching from the local database mode to the domain user mode, the original local user data will become invalid, as the system removes local users during domain user data synchronization. When switching from the domain user mode to the local database mode, domain users' identity information maintained by Deskpool will also be cleared Local Database Mode Figure 4-36 and Figure 4-37 are the user and group management interface in local database mode, with users and groups listed in alphabetical ascending order. When you click the [Find] button above the user list, a query window will pop up for you to enter search criteria. The "Operation" column in the user table and group table provides [Edit], [Disable] and [Delete] buttons for the corresponding actions. Page 38 of 68

39 Note: When you delete a user, the system does not delete the virtual machine already assigned to the user. When the user is deleted, the status of the VMs assigned to the user will be in the "invalid" state. You can check "invalid" VMs in your desktop computer table and have them listed out. Figure 4-36 The user management in local database mode Figure 4-37 The group management in local database mode A window as shown in Figure 4-38 will pop up when you click the [Add] button. This is where you can enter the following account information of local users: Username: The name of the user in Deskpool. Password: The password of the user account in Deskpool. Last name: The true identity of the user. First name: The user's given name. Group: The group where the user belongs. Users can be associated with no group or multiple groups. They will inherit the properties of the groups associated with them, including the pool properties. Select pool: To choose a pool for the user. You can use the pool associated with the user's group, or choose s pool for each user separately. Users can apply for a desktop VM from every pool they are associated with. Page 39 of 68

40 Figure 4-38 Add User A window as shown in Figure 4-30 will pop up when you click the [Add] button on the group page. This is where you can enter the following information: Group name: The group name displayed in local database (can not be empty). Description: A detailed description of the group. Select pool: To choose a pool for the group. Users in the group can apply for a desktop VM from every pool the group is associated with. Figure 4-39 Add Group Note: As described in Section If you choose "Set as default pool" during pool setup, the system will associate new users or groups with the pool by default AD Domain Controller Mode Figure 4-40 and Figure 4-41 are the user and group management interface in AD domain controller mode, with users and groups listed in alphabetical ascending order. When you click the [Find] button above the user list, a query window will pop up for you to enter search criteria. Current domain information is displayed at the head line of user management page, e.g. "domain: deskpool.com". With a proper domain authentication server assigned, the [Synchronize] button will be available. When you click the [Synchronize] button, Deskpool will synchronize local user data with the domain server. If the data on domain server is modified, Deskpool will update local user information. If a user is deleted on the domain server, the system will also clear the corresponding data on local database. In this mode, Deskpool does not store user password. The "Operation" column in the user table and group table provides the [Edit] and [Delete] buttons for the corresponding actions. Page 40 of 68

41 Note: To delete a user is to delete the local cache of a domain user, not the actual account on the domain server. Once deleted, the VMs assigned to the user will become "invalid". To delete a group is to delete the local cache of a domain group, not the actual group on the domain server. Figure 4-40 The user management in AD domain controller mode Figure 4-41 The group management in AD domain controller mode When adding users in such a mode, the administrator cannot enter user information manually the way as local database mode. Instead, the information has to be synchronized with the domain server. These are the steps to add users: Click the [Add] button to open the "Add User" window; Click [Find User], enter the names of the domain users you wish to add to Deskpool in the window as shown in Figure Search by prefix is supported. The window will list out all the domain users that match the criteria. Click the [Add] button to add your designated domain users to the user list of Deskpool; Set the group where the users belong. User can be associated with no group or multiple groups. They will inherit the properties of the groups associated with them, including the pool properties. Page 41 of 68

42 Select pool: To choose a pool for the users. You can use the pool associated with the user's group, or choose s pool for each user separately. Users can apply for a desktop VM from every pool they are associated with. Figure 4-42 Add User in AD domain database mode When adding users in such a mode, the administrator cannot enter user information manually the way as local database mode. Instead, the information has to be synchronized with the domain server. The steps to take are: Click the [Add] button to open the "Add Group" window; Click [Find Group], enter the names of the AD security groups you wish to add to Deskpool in the window as shown in Figure Search by prefix is supported. The window will list out all the domain groups that match the criteria. Click the [Add] button to add your designated domain groups to the group list of Deskpool; Select pool: To choose a pool for the group. Users in the group can apply for a desktop VM from every pool the group is associated with. Page 42 of 68

43 Figure 4-43 Add Group in AD domain database mode 4.8 Desktops The desktop management page contains the "Desktop List" subpages (Figure 4-44) and "Pool Overview" subpages (Figure 4-47) Desktop List The desktop list is a tabular overview of the basic information and status of all the desktop virtual machines in Deskpool: VM Name: The VM names generated in accordance with the naming rules of the pool; VM IP: The VM's IP address. Being empty means the current VM has not obtained an IP address; Pool: The pool where the VM belongs; Server IP: The management IP address of the server hosting the VM. See Section4.2.1for the IP address to enter during hypervisor configuration. (In a cluster deployment, there will be multiple server hosts); Owner: The user to whom the VM is assigned. Being empty means the desktop is not assigned. Different colors indicate various allocation status. Red: "Invalid" assignment. Yellow: "Expired" assignment. Black: Normal assignment. "Invalid" assignment means the owner of the desktop has been deleted. "Expired" assignment means that the user-desktop relationship no longer exists, but the user can still use the desktop. For example: Changing the pool associated with the user will render the assignment "expired", waiting to be manually deleted by the administrator. Status: The status of the current desktop, including: Preparing: VM creation task is in queue, waiting to be executed. Creating: The VM is being created by cloning or duplication. Booting: The hypervisor is booting the VM. Starting network: The Windows of the VM is booting, waiting for the network to become fullyusable. Page 43 of 68

44 Starting service: Network is ready, starting RDP service. For newly created VMs, extra operations are needed, such as renaming the VM and joining the VM to a domain. Running: The VM is operational and can be logged in remotely. Rebooting: The reboot task is queued. The VM is either rebooting or waiting to be rebooted. Shutting down: The shutdown task is queued. The VM is either shutting down or waiting to be shut down. Poweroff: The VM has been shut down. Out of service: The VM is out of service and in need of administrator's manual intervention. Deleting: The VM has been marked for deletion. The deletion task is either in queue or being executed. Client IP: The IP address of the client currently logged on to the VM. Being empty means there is no user logged in; Login time: The time when a non-administrator user logged on to the Windows VM; Operation: The administrator can click the [Operation] button to perform operations as shown in Figure 4-45, including: [Start]: To start a virtual machine that is power off. [Shutdown]: To turn off a virtual machine that is running. [VNC client]: To connect to the virtual machine via a VNC client. [Delete]: Delete the VM (the menu should be based on the state to display the menu command). Figure 4-44 List of Desktops Page 44 of 68

45 Figure 4-45 Desktop operations The desktop list supports conditional query. Click [Find] to open the query window as shown in Figure4-46. You can select multiple query conditions simultaneously. Deskpool will list out all the desktop VMs that meet the search criteria. Query criteria include: Desktop IP: Search desktops by IP address. Search by prefix is supported; Pool: Search desktops by pool to display specified desktops in the pool; Owner: Search desktops by user. Search by prefix is supported; VM status: Search by current state to display desktops in a specific state; Assignment: Search by the allocation status of computing resources; Assigned: The desktop is assigned and in use; Unassigned: The desktop is not assigned to any user; Expired: The desktop was assigned to a user, but currently this allocation relationship has been changed. For example, after the user-pool association is lifted or changed, the corresponding desktop is waiting to be reclaimed; Invalid: The allocation relationship is invalid. This happens when the owner of the desktop no longer exists, and the corresponding desktop is waiting to be reclaimed; Figure 4-46 Desktop filter Pool Overview The pool overview page displays statistics about the desktops in each pool in a tabular form. The first line in the header shows the overall statistical results of all pools. The administrator can have a quick overview of current desktop usage, such as: Maximum: The same as the "maximum desktop" attribute value of a pool. See Section 4.2.3; Pre-created: The same as the "pre-created" attribute value of a pool. See Section 4.2.2; Logged in: The number of desktops that have been started and assigned, with users remotely logged in; Page 45 of 68

46 Logged out: The number of desktops that are assigned, but currently with no user logged in; Idle: The number of desktops that have been started, but unassigned; Starting: The number of desktops that are starting, including desktops that are newly created and idle ones that are booting; Other: Desktops that are currently unable to use, such as desktops that are being removed or met with service interruptions. Figure 4-47 Pool overview 4.9 System The system management page of Deskpool provides three subpages, namely system, log and license System Settings The system subpage as shown in Figure 4-48 provides a range of global settings and system-level operations, including: General VNC Settings Server Capacity Parameters System Tools Figure 4-48 System settings Page 46 of 68

47 On the general settings subpage as shown in Figure 4-49, you can set the system time of Deskpool. Once set, click [Save] to save the new date and time. Deskpool will henceforth use them as system default. General settings also involve "Maximum Server Capacity" and "Maximum Concurrently Starting VM Number". Maximum server capacity: The maximum load of the system (The default value is 80%). Deskpool will cease to create more desktops when the total CPU consumption or memory usage reaches this value. Maximum concurrently starting VM number: The maximum quantity of VMs to be started simultaneously out of one single request made by Deskpool. The default value is 4. USB redirection policy: See Section 9.4. Figure 4-49 General system settings Figure 4-50 shows the VNC settings subpage, where the administrator can configure VNC-related features (for XenServer only) such as: Desktop screenshot: This setting determines whether the desktop thumbnail feature is enabled on user login. SeeChapter5for further information; Screenshot interval: This determines how often screenshots wll be taken if the desktop screenshot feature is enabled. The default interval is 5 second; Desktop VNC self-service: This determines whether users are allowed to access desktops via VNC. If this feature is turned on, users can remotely log on to desktops via VNC. See Chapter5for further information; VNC port: The VNC service port provided by Deskpool for external VNC access. The default port is Note: The VNC (Virtual Network Computer) feature is an alternate means for maintenance when users can not log on to desktop VMs via RDP. It provides temporary access to VMs so that users can check if the RDP feature is disabled or monitor operation progress when a start or shutdown task takes too long, etc.. Beware that a large number of concurrent VNC accesses may affect the performance of Deskpool service. Page 47 of 68

48 Figure 4-50 VNC settings On the system capacity parameters subpage as shown in Figure 4-51, the administrator can set various parameters for system capacity calculation, notably those for calculating CPU and memory consumption: vcpus per physical core: The number of vcpus supported by each physical CPU of the server. If the server's CPU supports Hyper-Threading feature, then maximum processing capacity can be provided; Reserved CPU cores: the number of physical cores to be reserved in calculating system capacity. The default value is 0.5 physical core; Reserved memory: The size of memory to be reserved in calculating system capacity. The default value is 1024 MB; Memory multiplier: The quotient of virtual memory and physical memory. It is recommended to set this value to 1. Figure 4-51 Configuration of server capacity parameters Note: The actual load of the server will be displayed on the server panel and Deskpool will ensure that the actual load is smaller than "maximum server capacity". If actual load is close to maximum server capacity, Deskpool will cease to create or start new desktops. An example of actual load calculation: Suppose the server has 12 CPUs and 96GB memory. The system created 2 VMs that consists of 2 vcpus and 2GB memory each. The capacity calculation parameter is set to system default. Page 48 of 68

49 Thus, the resource consumption rate of a single VM is: MAX (2/(96-1), 2/{(12-0.5)*5}) = The server's load is: x2 = The capacity of the server is approximately: 7% Figure 4-52 shows the "System Tools" subpage. Maintenance: If you set the system to maintenance mode, Deskpool will stop background task scheduling. Export data: To export system configuration data for system upgrade or migration. Change password: Change the login password of administrator account. Figure 4-52 System tools Log Figure 4-53 shows the log management subpage, where you can export debug information of the system: Export debug data: Debug information is a record of system events that can help maintenance crew in troubleshooting when abnormalities occur. By default, the system stores debug data of last 30 days, and supports exporting by period. The exported data will be a text file in CSV format. Figure 4-53 The "Log" subpage License The license subpage (Figure 4-54) contains three functional areas: Current license information Apply for license Update license file Page 49 of 68

50 The "Current license information" functional area (Figure 4-54) displays license information of current system. Deskpool is stocked with a trial license, which will not be restricted in terms of function and user experience. Please upgrade it to a commercial license before expiration. For free license, some functions will be restricted, you could switch to free license before trial expiration. When you are using a commercial license, you can click the "Active Trial License" to switch to trial license. Note: The commercial license of Deskpool is bound with the server's identification code. If you have changed your server, you can delete the original commercial license and use the default trial license. Please apply for a new commercial license before trial expiration. Figure 4-54 License management The "Apply for License" functional area (Figure 4-55) gives tips on how to update license; Figure 4-55 Apply for license As Figure4-56 shows, follow these steps to update license: 1) Load: Click the [Browse] button to select a valid license file; 2) Update: Click the [Update License] button to replace current license with the license file you have just selected. Page 50 of 68

51 Figure4-56 Update license file Gateway Deskpool can be used in combination with the desktop gateway product released by Jieyun Technology to realize cross-network secure remote desktop access. Figure 4-57 Gateway configuration Update\Patch Deskpool can fix system bugs with patches (Figure 4-58). You can upload patches to the system, and the latter will automatically apply the patches and reboot the Deskpool VM, Figure 4-58 Update system with patches Page 51 of 68

52 4.10 Events Deskpool's event function is mainly used to display event information generated during system scheduling, including template creation and maintenance, pool configuration, VM lifecycle maintenance and system-related events. The administrator should check events timely when abnormalities occur. Deskpool provides two event displaying area: Latest events: A maximum of 50 latest events are displayed at the bottom of Deskpool's homepage (Figure 4-59). The size of the display area can be adjusted. Figure 4-59 Recent event list Events: Deskpool's event management interface (Figure 4-60) displays 1000 recent system events in multiple pages. You can click the [Export] button on the bottom of the page to export events during a specific period of time to a file. Page 52 of 68

53 Figure 4-60 The event management page As Figure 4-61 shows, Deskpool supports conditional display of specific type of events. You may specify the type of events, such as desktop, template or server. You can also choose to display by level, such as info, error, warning, or task. Figure 4-61 Event filter Note: You can click the status information of an event to display further details. Page 53 of 68

54 5 User Login 5.1 User Login Screen Deskpool desktop users and administrators log on to the system on the same interface as shown in Figure4-1. If you log in with an administrator account, you will enter the system management interface as shown in Figure If you log in with a desktop user account in the login screen (Figure 4-1), you will enter the desktop console window as shown in Figure 5-1. The upper right corner displays the username, the [Settings] button and the [Logout] button. Deskpool will display all the desktop virtual machines owned by the user with large icons on the desktop console window. The large icon may vary in accordance with different states: The user logs in for the first time: Figure 5-1 shows the situation where "user3" logs on to Deskpool for the first time. The desktop icon prompts "Unassigned" as the system has not assigned any desktop virtual machines to the user. As the title above the desktop icon indicates, "user3" is associated with the pool "Finance Department." When the user clicks the desktop icon or the [Connect] button, Deskpool will automatically assign a desktop virtual machine in the pool "Finance Department" to "user3" and start remote connection. Note: If there are idle desktops in the pool, the user can get a desktop instantly, and the desktop icon will become colorful; In thin clients, the user will directly enter the Windows logon screen when connected; If the user uses a Windows-based browser to connect, Windows will automatically start the RDP client (mstsc.exe); If the system is in the domain database mode, the user does not need to enter account information to log in; Page 54 of 68

55 Figure 5-1 The logon screen on display when a user logs in for the first time The desktop VM is turned off when the user logs in: This is indicated by a gray icon (Figure 5-2), above which the pool that contains the desktop and the name of the desktop are displayed. When the [Start] button is clicked, the desktop will be started. When the [Connect] button is clicked, Deskpool will start the desktop as well as remote connection by default. Page 55 of 68

56 Figure 5-2 The desktop VM is turned off The desktop VM is running when the user logs in: This is indicated by a colorful icon (Figure 5-3), above which the pool that contains the desktop and the name of the desktop are displayed. When the [Shutdown] button is clicked, the desktop VM will be turned off. When the desktop icon or the [Connect] button is clicked, a remote connection will be started. Page 56 of 68

57 Figure 5-3 The desktop VM is running The desktop VM is starting when the user logs in: This is indicated by a gray icon with the word "Booting" in the center (Figure 5-4), above which the pool that contains the desktop and the name of the desktop are displayed. When the desktop icon or the [Connect] button is clicked, a remote connection will be started after boot up. When the [Maintenance] button is clicked, the VNC self-service window will pop up. Page 57 of 68

58 Figure 5-4 The Desktop VM is starting The desktop VM is shutting down when the user logs in: This is indicated by a gray icon with the words "Shutting down" in the center (Figure 5-5), above which the pool that contains the desktop and the name of the desktop are displayed. When the desktop icon or the [Connect] button is clicked, the desktop and the remote connection session will be restarted. When the [Maintenance] button is clicked, the VNC self-service window will pop up. Page 58 of 68

59 Figure 5-5 The desktop VM is shutting down 5.2 RDP Connection Settings Click the [Settings] button on the upper right corner of the desktop console to bring up the login protocol settings window as shown in Figure 5-6 to set up remote desktop access protocols: Microsoft RDP: A prompt will ask the user to download RDP file and connect to remote Windows virtual desktops by opening the file. Jieyun RDP: Using Jieyun RDP plug-in to connect to remote Windows virtual desktops. Again, this will use Microsoft RDP. But the user will not be prompted to download RDP file. In the window as shown in Figure 5-6, users can click the [Change Password] tab to modify their login password. Page 59 of 68

60 Figure 5-6 Choose a login protocol 5.3 Desktop Thumbnail A desktop thumbnail (Figure 5-7) is a screenshot displayed in the center of the desktop icon in logon screen to give the user a preview of the current status of the desktop before logging on to it. Its basic operating principle is to capture the current screen of the desktop VM and convert it into a thumbnail for display using the VNC screenshot feature. This feature needs to be enabled in system settings by the administrator. See Section4.9.1for instructions on VNC settings. Note: Currently, the desktop thumbnail feature supports XenServer only; A thumbnail is just a screenshot of the current desktop. This means the user cannot carry out any desktop operations with it. If you wish to control the desktop via VNC client, please refer to Section 5.4; The desktop thumbnail feature must be supported by the hypervisor. In situations that do not allow VNC screenshot, such as when RemoteFX is enabled on Microsoft's Hyper-V, this feature will not be supported by Deskpool. Page 60 of 68

61 Figure 5-7 Desktop thumbnail 5.4 VNC Client The VNC client window will be opened when the user clicks the [Maintenance] button. As Figure 5-8 shows, the user can use desktops in this window. Click the "Exit" button at the bottom of the window to quit the VNC client. Note: The VNC client feature is for XenServer only; This feature only provides a limited desktop experience and hence cannot be used as a standard remote access method; Usually, this feature is used as a maintenance measure for users when remote desktops cannot be accessed with the default method or desktop thumbnails can not accurately represent desktop status; A large number of concurrent VNC accesses may affect the performance of the Deskpool VM, hypervisor as well as network. Page 61 of 68

62 Figure 5-8 The VNC client window 5.5 Bind Account If Deskpool's user management is in local database mode, desktop users can bind their Deskpool account with their Windows user account to avoid entering logon information twice. A dialog box (Figure 5-9) will pop up when the [Bind Account] button is clicked. This is where users can enable account binding and enter their Windows user account. Click [OK] to save and quit. With these saved, the user will be automatically logged on to Deskpool with logon information of the bound account when he/she clicks the desktop icon. Figure5-9 Account binding 6 Data Backup and Recovery 6.1 Backup Templates Follow these steps to backup the template image of Deskpool: 1. Get the name of the template file from the "Properties" window; 2. Use the hypervisor to export and save the corresponding template. Please refer to XenCenter and Hyper-V Manager to learn how to export templates on their corresponding virtualization platforms. Page 62 of 68

63 6.2 Import Templates In reinstalling Deskpool (and reinstalling hypervisor), the administrator can quickly create a Deskpool template from a backup template image. To import a template involves these steps: 1. Use the hypervisor to import a template backup file. Please refer to XenCenter and Hyper-V Manager to learn how to import templates on their corresponding virtualization platforms. 2. Please refer to Section for instructions on the fast process to create a template in Deskpool and perform the process. 6.3 Export Data To export data is to export the current data from Deskpool's database and save them as a file. This is generally employed in the data preparation before system migration. See Chapter 7 to learn about system migration. As Figure 6-1 shows, data exportation involves these steps: 1. Run a web browser on a PC to visit the "System" page of Deskpool; 2. Click the [Maintenance] button on the "System Tools" subpage to switch the system to maintenance mode; 3. Click the [Export Data] button on the "System Tools" subpage to save the data file to the PC; 4. Click the [Exit] button on the "System Tools" subpage to switch the system back to normal mode. Figure 6-1 Data exportation 7 System Migration System migration is a maintenance task performed in replacing the current Deskpool VM with a newer one. Usually, it involves two scenarios: System update: To update Deskpool management system to a newer version. This is done by importing a new version of Deskpool VM (see Deskpool Desktop Virtualization System Rapid Deployment Guide) to take over system management and stop the older Deskpool VM. System restoration: This is usually performed when the original Deskpool VM could not work properly as a result of man-made damage. In this case, the malfunctioning Deskpool VM will be replaced by another Deskpool VM of the same version, which takes over system management and stops the damaged one. Note: The system migration refers to the migration of management functions between two Deskpool VMs on the same server. Cross-server migration is not supported. The administrator must follow these steps to perform system migration: 1) Follow the instructions in Section 6.3 and perform "Export Data" in the original system to generate the data file of the system; 2) Turn off the original Deskpool; 3) Follow the instructions in Deskpool Fast Installation Guide to install the new version Deskpool VM; Page 63 of 68

64 4) After the first boot of the new Deskpool VM, click [Start migration] in the system initialization wizard window as shown in Figure 7-1 to start the wizard of system migration; Figure 7-1 The system initialization window 5) As shown in Figure 7-2, Figure 7-3 and Figure 7-4, system migration consists of three steps: Import data: Follow the prompts to complete information confirmation and then select the data file to import. The data file was exported from the original Deskpool system, containing the system configuration, status, log and event data at the moment they were exported. Note: If you are prompted that the importation failed, please check Deskpool's version compatibility and the integrity of the data file. If the importation fails, you will be brought back to the initialization prompt window as shown in Figure 7-1 again. Figure 7-2 Step One "Import Data" Page 64 of 68

65 Configuration: The step mainly deals with the network configuration of the new Deskpool VM. Make sure you are migrating a virtual machine consistent with the original Deskpool in terms of IP address, advanced network settings, DHCP and MAC address binding, etc.. Note: When the current IP address of Deskpool system is modified, you need to use the new IP address and log on to Deskpool again to resume the wizard as shown in Figure 7-3. Click [Next] when you have confirmed other information. Figure 7-3 Step Two "Configuration" Confirm migration: You will be prompted the prerequisites for the proper operation of the system after migration: Make sure that the original Deskpool VM will not be started again; Quit maintenance mode so that the new Deskpool VM could function normally. Figure 7-4 Step Three "Confirm Migration" Note: If you click the [Cancel] button during system migration, the current Deskpool VM will be restored to uninitialized state. Page 65 of 68

66 8 Deskpool Cluster The current version (2.1.x) does not support cluster deployment. 9 Appendix 9.1 Login to Deskpool Desktop System Figure 9-1 shows the unified logon screen for both the administrator and ordinary desktop users. Enter the following URL in the browser's address bar: IP address] The default administrator account (You can change the administrator password on the "System" page): Username: admin Password: deskpool Figure9-1 Deskpool logon screen 9.2 SSH Login to Deskpool VM Console There are multiple ways to log in to Deskpool VM console. You can log in via hypervisor management tools such as the management console of XenCenter, ESX VIC and Hyper-V manager. You can also use other SSH tools such as PuTTY. If you wish to login to the Deskpool VM via SSH, the password of the root user is "deskpool". 9.3 Setting Deskpool VM's IP Address Manually Login to the Deskpool VM as root user (See Section 9.2) and follow these steps to modify the VM's IP address: 1) Open the ifcfg-eth0 file [root@localhost network-scripts]# vi /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 2) Edit the ifcfg-eth0 file If you wish to use DHCP, the following settings are for your reference: DEVICE = eth0 # NIC interface name TYPE=Ethernet # NIC type Page 66 of 68

67 ONBOOT = yes # Load at system startup BOOTPROTO=dhcp #Enable dynamic address protocol If you wish to use static IP, the following settings are for your reference: TYPE=Ethernet # NIC type DEVICE = eth0 # NIC interface name ONBOOT = yes # Load at system startup BOOTPROTO=static #Enable static address protocol IPADDR= #NIC IP address NETMASK= #NIC netmask address GATEWAY= #NIC gateway address DNS1= #NIC DNS address BROADCAST= #NIC broadcast address 3) Save the modified ifcfg-eth0 file and restart network: [root@localhost network-scripts]# /etc/init.d/networking restart 9.4 USB Device Redirection Device redirection includes RDP High-Level Device Redirection and Deskpool USB redirection: RDP redirection maps the resources of clients to servers via RDP. Devices supported by RDP redirection include hard drives, printers, smart cards and data ports. Select the appropriate device type on the configuration interface as shown in Figure 4-20, RDP will map the local resources to the virtual desktop. Deskpool USB redirection is realized by loading a dedicated Deskpool USB redirection software on the server to redirect the USB devices connected to thin clients to remote desktops so that virtual desktops can utilize USB devices on thin clients like using local USB devices. Select "Other USB Devices" in the pool redirection option to enable Deskpool USB redirection. The Deskpool USB redirection feature must be used in conjunction with Jieyun Technology's USB Redirection Manager and thin clients. For a detailed instruction, please refer to Deskpool USB Device Redirection Manual. As Figure 9-2 shows, Deskpool management system supports USB device redirection rule, allowing administrators to blacklist USB devices. Devices labeled by "Allow" can be redirected, while redirection of devices labeled by "Deny" is prohibited. You can also configure the default rule for devices that are not listed in the table. The USB redirection rule feature must be used in conjunction with Jieyun Technology's USB Redirection Manager and thin clients. For detailed instruction, please refer to Deskpool USB Device Redirection Manual. Figure 9-2 Deskpool USB redirection rule 9.5 Configuration for the integration of Deskpool and Active Directory Service When the Deskpool system deployed with the AD domain controller, the AD domain server could provide the user authentication instead of the Deskpool system. So, the users of Windows desktops will only need a single sign-on. Before the users could realize single sign-on, there are two preparatory works: Page 67 of 68