A many-to-many share is a group of cloud computers managed centrally. Elastic Desktop Service (EDS) Enterprise automatically creates, allocates, and releases cloud computers within shares based on connections and settings to optimize resource usage. This topic describes the features, use cases, limitations, scaling policies, and allocation policies of many-to-many shares.
Features
You can grant many-to-many share access to multiple end users at once. When end users request access over Alibaba Cloud Workspace clients, EDS Enterprise automatically allocates cloud computers. Upon disconnection, EDS Enterprise removes the user-computer binding to enable automatic computer scheduling.
The number of cloud computers within a many-to-many share can be adjusted dynamically. When creating a share, you can select a custom payment method and set a scaling policy. EDS Enterprise will automatically create or release cloud computers based on your settings and policy to meet end user demands, optimize resource usage, and reduce costs.
All cloud computers within a many-to-many share use the same settings, enabling unified management for improved efficiency. For example, you can simultaneously adjust specifications, update images, or change security policies for cloud computers within many-to-many shares.
Benefits
A many-to-many share has the following benefits:
Cloud computers within the share use identical template and security policy, ensuring consistent configurations and a seamless user experience.
The number of cloud computers within the share adjusts dynamically. EDS Enterprise creates or releases cloud computers based on user requests and scaling policies, which may result in some end users not being assigned cloud computers.
End users are not permanently tied to cloud computers within the share. EDS Enterprise allocates cloud computers only upon request and releases them 10 minutes after end users disconnect.
Therefore, a many-to-many share is ideal for scenarios like Internet cafés or school computer labs, where cloud computers require centralized management but lack fixed users and do not need to store personalized data.
Limitations
You can create up to 200 cloud computers within a pay-as-you-go share and up to 100 cloud computers within a subscription share.
The billing method of a many-to-many share cannot be converted.
Reset policies
By default, the Reset Type parameter for many-to-many shares is set to None, meaning no reset is performed. If cloud computers are configured to retain data after end users disconnect, all data within those cloud computers is also preserved.
You can adjust the reset policies for many-to-many shares to suit your business needs by selecting one of the following alternatives:
None
System Disk
User Disk
System Disk and User Disk
Scaling policies
The number of cloud computers within a many-to-many share adjusts dynamically. When setting up such a share, you can define a custom scaling policy. EDS Enterprise then automatically creates, allocates, and releases cloud computers within the share according to the policy, enabling automated scheduling.
For subscription shares, you must configure the following parameters: Quantity, Allow Auto-creation, and Max. Auto-created Desktops.
The Quantity parameter sets the base number of cloud computers. Enabling Allow Auto-creation allows EDS Enterprise to automatically create additional cloud computers to handle temporary spikes in demand. For example, if a customer service center typically has 50 employees but occasionally needs more due to overtime, auto-creation ensures the system can provision extra cloud computers as needed. It guarantees all employees have access to cloud computers during peak times.
Enable auto-creation and set an upper limit (T units) for auto-created cloud computers
After EDS Enterprise initially creates S-unit cloud computers, it dynamically adjusts the number of cloud computers based on user connections, automatically creating or releasing resources. As a result, the number of cloud computers within the many-to-many share fluctuates between S and S+T.
NoteThe auto-created cloud computers are billed on the pay-as-you-go basis and released in 10 minutes after end users disconnect from them.
You can control the number of auto-created cloud computers and manage costs by configuring the Max. Auto-created Desktops parameter.
Disable auto-creation
After EDS Enterprise creates the initial batch of S-unit cloud computers, no additional cloud computers are created. As a result, the total number of cloud computers within the many-to-many share remains fixed at S.
ImportantIf auto-creation is disabled, you must set the Quantity parameter correctly to ensure a smooth experience for end users. This prevents connection failures that may occur when all existing cloud computers are in use.
For pay-as-you-go shares, you must configure the following parameters: Max. Cloud Computers and Reserved Idle Cloud Computers.
The Reserved Idle Cloud Computers parameter allows EDS Enterprise to reserve a set number of standby cloud computers (N units) within the many-to-many share to minimize connection time for end users. As long as the total does not exceed the maximum number of allowed cloud computers (M units, where M≥1), N-unit cloud computers remain on standby at all times, ensuring immediate availability whenever end users initiate connection requests.
ImportantSetting the Reserved Idle Cloud Computers parameter to 0 means EDS Enterprise will only create a new cloud computer when an end user initiates a connection request. However, creating a cloud computer takes time and may fail due to insufficient resources. To ensure a smooth user experience, we recommend that you set the Reserved Idle Cloud Computers parameter to a value greater than 0.
Reserve a specific number of standby cloud computers (N units, where N ≤ M)
After EDS Enterprise initially creates N-unit cloud computers, it dynamically adjusts the number of cloud computers based on user connections, automatically creating or releasing resources. As a result, the number of cloud computers within the many-to-many share fluctuates between N and M.
Reserve no standby cloud computers
Initially, EDS Enterprise does not create any cloud computers within the many-to-many share. However, it dynamically creates or releases cloud computers based on user connections. As a result, the number of cloud computers within the share automatically fluctuates between 0 and M.
Allocation policies
Cloud computers within many-to-many shares are not permanently tied to specific end users. You can assign permissions for these cloud computers to end users based on your business requirements. EDS Enterprise dynamically allocates cloud computers to end users in response to their requests. The allocation mechanism depends on the billing method and scaling policy.
Subscription
Scaling policy
Scenario
Upon request
Upon disconnection
Auto-creation enabled
Number of connected end users ≤ Initial number of purchased cloud computers
EDS Enterprise allocates an existing cloud computer billed on the subscription basis. In this case, the connection duration equals the allocation duration.
Within 10 minutes, the cloud computer can be reconnected. After this period, EDS Enterprise unbinds the user-computer relationship, stops the cloud computer, and resets it according to the reset policy.
Upper limit of cloud computers ≥ Number of connected end users > Initial number of purchased cloud computers
EDS Enterprise allocates an auto-created cloud computer billed on the pay-as-you-go basis. In this case, the connection duration equals the sum of the creation time, startup time, and allocation time.
Within 10 minutes, the cloud computer can be reconnected. After this period, EDS Enterprise unbinds the user-computer relationship and releases the cloud computer.
Number of connected end users > Maximum number of cloud computers
EDS Enterprise does not allocate cloud computers. When an end user requests access, a prompt stating that no cloud computers are available is displayed.
N/A
Auto-creation disabled
Number of connected end users ≤ Initial number of purchased cloud computers
EDS Enterprise allocates an existing cloud computer billed on the subscription basis. In this case, the connection duration equals the allocation duration.
Within 10 minutes, the cloud computer can be reconnected. After this period, EDS Enterprise unbinds the user-computer relationship, stops the cloud computer, and resets it according to the reset policy.
Number of connected end users > Initial number of purchased cloud computers
EDS Enterprise does not allocate cloud computers. When an end user requests access, a prompt stating that no cloud computers are available is displayed.
N/A
NoteMaximum number of subscription cloud computers = Initial number of purchased cloud computers + Maximum number of auto-created cloud computers
Pay-as-you-go
Scaling policy
Scenario
Upon request
Upon disconnection
Standby cloud computers reserved
Number of connected end users ≤ Maximum number of cloud computers
EDS Enterprise allocates a standby cloud computer billed on the pay-as-you-go basis. In this case, the connection duration equals the allocation duration.
Within 10 minutes, the cloud computer can be reconnected. After this period, EDS Enterprise unbinds the user-computer relationship and releases the surplus cloud computer.
Number of connected end users > Maximum number of cloud computers
EDS Enterprise does not allocate cloud computers. When an end user requests access, a prompt stating that no cloud computers are available is displayed.
N/A
Standby cloud computers not reserved
Number of connected end users ≤ Maximum number of cloud computers
EDS Enterprise allocates an auto-created cloud computer billed on the pay-as-you-go basis. In this case, the connection duration equals the sum of the creation time, startup time, and allocation time.
Within 10 minutes, the cloud computer can be reconnected. After this period, EDS Enterprise unbinds the user-computer relationship and releases the cloud computer.
Number of connected end users > Maximum number of cloud computers
EDS Enterprise does not allocate cloud computers. When an end user requests access, a prompt stating that no cloud computers are available is displayed.
N/A