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    Elastic Desktop Service:Create cloud computers

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    Elastic Desktop Service:Create cloud computers

    Last Updated:May 26, 2025

    This topic describes how to create cloud computers in the Elastic Desktop Service (EDS) Enterprise console.

    Preparations

    You may optionally complete the following preparations to speed up the cloud computer creation process.

    • Create a cloud computer template. A cloud computer template specifies all the required resources, allowing you to efficiently create cloud computers. For more information, see Create and manage custom templates. If you do not want to create a cloud computer template, you can use a system template instead.

    • Create end user accounts to which cloud computers are assigned. After cloud computer assignment is complete, end users can use these accounts to log on to Alibaba Cloud Workspace terminals. You can also create cloud computers before you create end user accounts.

      • Create convenience accounts

        The convenience account system is dedicated to Elastic Desktop Service (Enterprise Edition) and is suitable for non-Active Directory (AD) scenarios. Users that are created based on the convenience account system are convenience users. Administrators can create and manage convenience users in the Elastic Desktop Service (Enterprise Edition) console.

      • Create and manage enterprise AD accounts

        The enterprise AD account system is suitable for AD scenarios. That is, Elastic Desktop Service (Enterprise Edition) uses AD connectors to connect to enterprise AD systems and AD domain controllers to manage user permissions and resources in a centralized manner. Users that are created based on the enterprise AD account systems are AD users.

    • Create an office network to accommodate cloud computers and configure relevant settings. If you do not want to create an office network, the system provides a default office network.

    • Create a cloud computer policy. A cloud computer policy defines rules governing cloud capabilities and security, influencing user experience and behavior. An administrator can control and manage cloud computers by creating a custom policy and applying it to the cloud computers. The administrator only needs to update the policy when the control and management requirements change. For more information, see Policy configurations. If you do not want to create a custom policy, you can use the default policy provided by EDS Enterprise.

    Purchase cloud computers on the Quick Purchase tab

    The following section describes how to purchase cloud computers on the Quick Purchase tab, which streamlines the creation process. This method is suitable for general customers with no special requirements.

    1. Log on to the EDS Enterprise console.

    2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources > Cloud Computers.

    3. On the Cloud Computers page of the EDS Enterprise console, click Create Cloud Computer.

    4. Click the Quick Purchase tab and configure parameters based on your business requirements. The following table describes the parameters.

      Parameter

      Description

      Region

      The region in which you want to purchase cloud computers. For the best performance, we recommend that you choose a region that is near your business to decrease latency.

      Note

      After you purchase cloud computers, you cannot change their region. Consider your decision carefully.

      OS

      The operating system of cloud computers. You can select Windows Server and Ubuntu operating systems.

      Note

      Microsoft has discontinued mainstream support for Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019, meaning free incident support and security updates are no longer provided. While EDS Enterprise still supports creating cloud computers with these OS versions and offers compatibility assistance, it is important to note that using unsupported or soon-to-be unsupported OS versions poses risks and requires careful consideration.

      Type

      The computing resources of cloud computers. The lower part of this parameter provides on-screen information about the intended users, applicable scenarios, and inapplicable scenarios to assist you in selecting the most suitable type.

      Note

      If the available specifications do not meet your business requirements, you can switch to the Custom Purchase tab to proceed.

      Billing Method

      The billing method of cloud computers.

      • Monthly Subscription

      • Pay-as-you-go

      Computing Plan

      If you set the Billing Method parameter to Monthly Subscription, you must select one of the following computing plans:

      • Monthly plans with limited usage

        • 120 Hours/Month

        • 250 Hours/Month

        • 360 Hours/Month

      • Monthly plans with unlimited usage

      Note

      For monthly plans with limited usage, you must take note of the following items:

      • Only the Graphics Workstation - Enhanced type supports the 250 Hours/Month and 360 Hours/Month plans. Other Graphics Workstation types do not support monthly plans with usage limits.

      • The hours of a plan represent the amount of time a cloud computer is in service each month. Any unused running hours at the end of the month do not roll over to the next month.

      • If the monthly running hours of a cloud computer are used up before the end of the month, the cloud computer continues to run and generates extra fees. If you want the cloud computer to stop running upon hour exhaustion, select When the monthly running hours of a cloud computer are exhausted in advance, the system automatically stops or hibernates the cloud computer....

      • If you use a cloud computer beyond the allotted time, you will be charged based on the hourly price of your chosen plan. The price listed on the purchase page will be the final amount charged. Cloud computers have a fee cap. If the fees generated within a month reach the amount of the Unlimited plan, no more fees are generated. Essentially, the price of the Unlimited plan is the maximum monthly fee for any other type of plans. Make sure that your account balance is sufficient. For more information about the pricing of the Unlimited plan, see Pricing.

      • After cloud computers are purchased, they automatically start. If end users do not connect to them within 10 minutes, the cloud computers stop or hibernate to avoid consuming running hours. You can adjust the scheduled tasks or policies of cloud computers. For more information, see Configure scheduled tasks and Configure a scheduled policy for a cloud computer.

      Storage Capacity

      The capacities of the system disks and data disks used by cloud computers.

      Duration

      The subscription duration. If you set the Billing Method parameter to Monthly Subscription, you must specify a subscription duration.

      Public Bandwidth

      Cloud computers cannot access the Internet over the networks of local devices. By default, each cloud computer has basic bandwidth, which is free of charge. End users can access the Internet from cloud computers.

      Important

      The peak bandwidth only indicates the upper bandwidth limit and is for reference only. The peak bandwidth may vary based on usage scenarios. In scenarios in which demand exceeds resource supplies, the bandwidth may be lower than the specified value.

      (Optional) Assign User

      You can assign cloud computers to users either during or after their creation.

      You can assign cloud computers to new or existing users by following the on-screen instructions.

      Note

      On the Quick Purchase tab, you can only assign a cloud computer to one user. To assign a cloud computer to additional users, you can do so after completing the purchase process or by switching to the Custom Purchase tab.

      Service Agreement

      The service agreement. You need to select Read and agree to Product Terms of Service.

      Quantity

      The number of cloud computers you want to purchase.

    5. Confirm the configurations and fees, and click Buy Now.

    6. (Conditional) Promptly make the payment if your cloud computers are billed on a monthly basis.

    Purchase cloud computers on the Custom Purchase tab

    The Custom Purchase tab allows you to personalize cloud computers to fit your specific business requirements. This tab offers more flexibility than the Quick Purchase tab. To create cloud computers, configure the cloud environment, network settings, security policies, and tags as described in the following procedure:

    1. Log on to the EDS Enterprise console.

    2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources > Cloud Computers.

    3. On the Cloud Computers page of the EDS Enterprise console, click Create Cloud Computer.

    4. On the Custom Purchase tab, configure parameters based on your business requirements. The following table describes the parameters.

      Parameter

      Description

      Configure Cloud Environment

      Region

      The region in which you want to purchase cloud computers. For the best performance, we recommend that you choose a region that is near your business to decrease latency.

      Note

      After you purchase cloud computers, you cannot change their region. Consider your decision carefully.

      Office Network

      Select an office network.

      You can select an existing office network or create a new one by following the on-screen instructions.

      Note

      After you create an office network, click the icon on the right side of the Office Network drop-down list to update the office network list.

      Configure Cloud Computer

      Type

      The computing resources of cloud computers. Clicking Specification Details displays information about the intended users, applicable scenarios, and inapplicable scenarios, helping you select the most suitable type.

      OS

      The operating system of cloud computers.

      • If you click the System Image tab, you can select Windows Server and Ubuntu operating systems. Additionally, if the selected operating system supports multiple languages, you must configure the OS Language parameter.

        Note

        The available operating system options depend on your selected region and cloud computer specifications. If you don’t see the operating system you need, try adjusting the region or specifications.

        Important

        Microsoft has discontinued mainstream support for Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019, meaning free incident support and security updates are no longer provided. While EDS Enterprise still supports creating cloud computers with these OS versions and offers compatibility assistance, it is important to note that using unsupported or soon-to-be unsupported OS versions poses risks and requires careful consideration.

      • If you click the Custom Image, Shared Image, or Community Image tab, directly select the image you want to use. You can search for the desired image by OS or image ID.

      Billing Method

      The billing method of cloud computers.

      • Monthly Subscription

      • Pay-as-you-go

      Computing Plan

      If you set the Billing Method parameter to Monthly Subscription, you must select one of the following computing plans:

      • Monthly plans with limited usage

        • 120 Hours/Month

        • 250 Hours/Month

        • 360 Hours/Month

      • Monthly plans with unlimited usage

      Note

      For monthly plans with limited usage, you must take note of the following items:

      • Only the Graphics Workstation - Enhanced type supports the 250 Hours/Month and 360 Hours/Month plans. Other Graphics Workstation types do not support monthly plans with usage limits.

      • The hours of a plan represent the amount of time a cloud computer is in service each month. Any unused running hours at the end of the month do not roll over to the next month.

      • If the monthly running hours of a cloud computer are used up before the end of the month, the cloud computer continues to run and generates extra fees. If you want the cloud computer to stop running upon hour exhaustion, select When the monthly running hours of a cloud computer are exhausted in advance, the system automatically stops or hibernates the cloud computer....

      • If you use a cloud computer beyond the allotted time, you will be charged based on the hourly price of your chosen plan. The price listed on the purchase page will be the final amount charged. Cloud computers have a fee cap. If the fees generated within a month reach the amount of the Unlimited plan, no more fees are generated. Essentially, the price of the Unlimited plan is the maximum monthly fee for any other type of plans. Make sure that your account balance is sufficient. For more information about the pricing of the Unlimited plan, see Pricing.

      • After cloud computers are purchased, they automatically start. If end users do not connect to them within 10 minutes, the cloud computers stop or hibernate to avoid consuming running hours. You can adjust the scheduled tasks or policies of cloud computers. For more information, see Configure scheduled tasks and Configure a scheduled policy for a cloud computer.

      Storage Capacity

      The capacities of the system disks and data disks used by cloud computers.

      For cloud computers of the Graphics or High Frequency type, you can also configure the system or data disk type.

      • SSD

      • ESSD

      For Enterprise SSDs (ESSDs), you can also configure the disk performance level (PL). If you configure disks with larger capacities, you have a greater variety of PLs to select from. Examples:

      • You can select PL0 or PL1 for disks with a capacity ranging from 40 GiB to 460 GiB.

      • You can select PL0, PL1, or PL2 for disks with a capacity ranging from 470 GiB to 1,260 GiB.

      • You can select PL0, PL1, PL2, or PL3 for disks with a capacity ranging from 1,270 GiB to 2,040 GiB.

      Note

      The default maximum capacity of a data disk is 2,040 GiB. To increase the limit to 65,530 GiB (approximately 64 TiB), submit a ticket.

      Duration

      The subscription duration. If you set the Billing Method parameter to Monthly Subscription, you must specify a subscription duration.

      Auto-renewal

      If you set the Billing Method parameter to Monthly Subscription and the subscription duration is one month or more, you can enable Auto-renewal.

      Note

      • The auto-renewal duration is consistent with the subscription duration. For example, if you have a two-month subscription to a cloud computer and you turn on the Auto-renewal switch, the system will automatically renew the subscription for another two months after the initial two months are over.

      • You can change the auto-renewal duration. To do so, click Expenses > Renewal Management in the top navigation bar and go to the Renewal page.

      Configure Network

      Public Bandwidth

      Cloud computers cannot access the Internet over the networks of local devices. By default, each cloud computer has basic bandwidth, which is free of charge. End users can access the Internet from cloud computers.

      Important

      The peak bandwidth only indicates the upper bandwidth limit and is for reference only. The peak bandwidth may vary based on usage scenarios. In scenarios in which demand exceeds resource supplies, the bandwidth may be lower than the specified value.

      Billing of premium bandwidth plans

      You are charged for using premium bandwidth plans. For more information, see Billable items. The billing method of a premium bandwidth plan is consistent with that of your purchased cloud computers. The following billing methods of premium bandwidth plans are provided:

      • If the billing method of the purchased cloud computers is Monthly Subscription, the billing method of the attached premium bandwidth plan is Pay-by-bandwidth (Subscription).

      • If the billing method of the purchased cloud computers is Pay-as-you-go, the billing method of the attached premium bandwidth plan is Pay-by-data-transfer (Pay-as-you-go) or Pay-by-bandwidth (Pay-as-you-go).

      If you want to cancel the billing method consistency between cloud computers and premium bandwidth plans, clear Same Billing Method next to the Billing Method parameter.

      Automatic renewal of premium bandwidth plans

      • If you set the Billing Method parameter to Pay-by-bandwidth (Subscription) for a premium bandwidth plan, you can enable auto-renewal for the plan to prevent Internet access failures after the plan expires.

      • If you enable auto-renewal for a premium bandwidth plan, we recommend that you enable the auto-renewal feature for related cloud computers at the earliest opportunity to prevent resource waste.

      • After you purchase a premium bandwidth plan, all cloud computers created in the EDS Enterprise console can access the Internet. If you want to manage the Internet access of cloud computers in a fine-grained manner, configure network settings in the Internet Access Control section on the office network details page. For more information, see FAQ.

      Internet Access

      By default, the cloud computers that you create are allowed to access the Internet. If you do not want the cloud computers in the current order to access the Internet, clear Cloud computers in this order can access the Internet next to the Internet Access parameter.

      (Optional) Organization ID

      Organization ID

      The system automatically generates a default organization ID, which end users can use to log on to Alibaba Cloud terminals and connect to the purchased cloud computers.

      You can replace the default organization ID with a custom organization ID. For more information, see Configure logon methods.

      (Optional) Assign User

      Assign User

      • To assign a cloud computer to a user when you create the cloud computer, click Assign Now.

        You can assign cloud computers to new or existing users by following the on-screen instructions.

      • To assign a cloud computer to a user after you create the cloud computer, click Assign Later.

      (Optional) Cloud Computer Name

      Naming Rule

      The naming rules for cloud computers. A cloud computer name is composed of a name prefix followed by digits. The total length cannot exceed 64 characters.

      Prefix

      The name prefix can be up to 58 characters in length. It must start with a letter but cannot start with http:// or https://. The name prefix can contain letters, digits, colons (:), underscores (_), periods (.), and hyphens (-). Sample name prefix: Branch.

      Number of Digits

      The number of digits in the numeric suffix. Example 2.

      Start Value

      The initial value of the numeric suffix. Example: 01.

      Sample Result

      The sample name of the first cloud computer that is generated based on the preceding rules. Example: Branch01.

      Advanced Settings

      Resource Group

      A resource group is a collection of cloud computer resources, which serves as a management unit used to manage cloud computers in batches and isolate data permissions for sub-administrators. You can select an existing resource group from the Resource Group drop-down list, or click Create Resource Group in the lower part of the section to create a resource group. After you create a resource group, click the icon on the right side of the Resource Group drop-down list to load the newly created resource group. For more information, see Create a resource group.

      Policy

      You can select an existing cloud computer policy from the Policy drop-down list, or click Create Policy in the lower part of the section to create a policy. After you create a policy, click Refresh to load the newly created policy. For more information, see Policy overview.

      Note

      You cannot configure this parameter to override an associated policy if the selected resource group has one.

      Scheduled Task

      You can select an existing scheduled task from the Scheduled Task drop-down list, or click Create Scheduled Task in the lower part of the section to create a scheduled task. After you create a scheduled task, click the icon on the right side of the Scheduled Task drop-down list to load the newly created scheduled task. For more information, see Configure scheduled tasks.

      Note

      You cannot configure this parameter to override an associated scheduled task if the selected resource group has one.

      Snapshot Policy

      You can select an existing snapshot policy from the Snapshot Policy drop-down list, or click Create Automatic Snapshot Policy in the lower part of the section to create a snapshot policy. After you create a new snapshot policy, click the icon on the right side of the Snapshot Policy drop-down list to load the newly created snapshot policy. For more information, see Create and apply an automatic snapshot policy.

      Tag

      A tag is a key-value pair used to identify resources. You can use tags to group cloud computers and facilitate management operations. Tags help you search for and perform batch operations on cloud computers with ease. For more information, see Use tags to manage cloud computers.

      Other

      Coupon

      You can apply a coupon if you have one.

      Agreements

      Read and agree to the terms of service.

      Quantity

      The number of cloud computers you want to purchase.

      Note

      The number of cloud computers you want to purchase. You can purchase up to 300 cloud computers per order. If you need to purchase more than 300 cloud computers, submit separate orders for each additional batch.

    5. Confirm the configurations and fees, and click Buy Now.

    6. (Conditional) Promptly make the payment if your cloud computers are billed on a monthly basis.

    What to do next

    • Modify multiple cloud computer names at the same time: On the Cloud Computers page, select the cloud computers whose names you want to modify and choose More > Modify Cloud Computer Name. Then, in the dialog box that appears, enter a name prefix, number of digits, and start value, and click OK.

    • Associate a premium bandwidth plan with an office network: If you do not enable premium bandwidth when you create cloud computers, you can associate a premium bandwidth plan with the office network in which the cloud computers reside later. For more information, see Manage Internet access.

    • Back up and restore data: You can create snapshots for cloud computers to back up data and use the snapshots to restore cloud computers. For more information, see Use snapshots (public preview).

    • Perform remote O&M: If you want to perform O&M on cloud computers without the need to connect to the cloud computers, you can send remote commands. For more information, see Send remote commands.

    • Configure scheduled tasks: You can create scheduled tasks for cloud computers to perform regular tasks at specific time points. For more information, see Configure scheduled tasks.