Elastic Desktop Service:Create and manage a cloud computer pool

Background

Cloud computers in a cloud computer pool or pooled cloud computers are automatically created, assigned, and released based on the specified billing method and scaling policy. For more information about cloud computer pools, see Overview.

Create a cloud computer pool

1. Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service console.

2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources & Terminals > Cloud Computer Pools.

3. In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.

4. On the Cloud Computer Pools page, click Create Pool and configure parameters to create a cloud computer pool. The following table describes the parameters.

   Parameter	Description
   Billing Method	The following billing methods apply: Subscription: You can reserve resources in advance and save on costs. Pay-as-you-go: You are charged based on the specifications and actual usage duration of cloud computers in the pool. You can release the cloud computers anytime. For more information, see Billing overview.
   Name	The name of the pool. The name must conform to the naming conventions as prompted.
   Region	The region where cloud computers in the pool are deployed.
   Office Network	The office network in which cloud computers in the pool reside. You can select a convenience or an enterprise AD office network. For more information about the types of office networks, see Office network types.
   Authorize User	After you grant permissions to users to use the pool, cloud computers in the pool are randomly assigned to the users based on connections. If an end user disconnects from a pooled cloud computer, the system resets the cloud computer based on the disk reset type. Then, the cloud computer can be assigned to other users. If you want to grant permissions to users after you create the pool, click Disable. If you want to grant permissions to users when you create the pool, click Enable. If you use a convenience office network, you can click Authorize User and select the convenience users that you want to grant permissions. You can also click Create User to create new convenience users and then grant the new users permissions. For more information about how to create a convenience account, see Create a convenience account. If you use an enterprise AD office network, you can click Authorize User and select AD user account in an AD controller. You can also import AD user accounts by uploading a .csv file that contains AD user information on the Upload tab. Note You can import up to 500 AD users at a time by uploading a .csv file. Batch import AD users In the Select Users panel, click the Upload tab. Prepare a .csv file and upload the file to the Elastic Desktop Service console. You can prepare the file by using one of the following methods: Click Download CSV Template. Open the downloaded template, enter the AD account information in the format that is provided by the template, and then save the file. Use Excel software to create a file, specify information about AD users in the valid format, and then save the file in the .csv format. Click Select File, select the CSV file that you want to upload, and then click OK. The system uploads the .csv file to Elastic Desktop Service and checks whether the imported information about AD users matches the actual information about AD users in the AD domain controller. You can click View Match Details to view the results. You can assign cloud computers only to users that are displayed in the Matched User list. For users that are in the Mismatched User list, you can modify information about the users, click Resubmit, and then grant permissions to the users again.
   User Data Roaming	After you enable the user data roaming feature, the data of an end user in the C:\Users\username is always synchronized. This ensures continuity of user experience. For more information about the feature and how to configure the feature, see Configure user data roaming in this topic.
   Security Policy	The security policy that is associated with all cloud computers in the pool. This policy is used to manage permissions on cloud computers to improve security. You can select an existing policy or create a policy based on your business requirements. For more information, see Create a policy.
   Template	The template that is used to create cloud computers in the pool. Cloud computer templates define the specifications and images of cloud computers. You can use templates to quickly create cloud computers. You can select an existing template or create a template based on your business requirements. For more information, see Create custom cloud computer templates. Note Cloud computer templates does not support Linux custom images. To enable the user data roaming feature, make sure that the image version of the selected template is V1.9.0 or later.
   If you set the Billing Method parameter to Subscription, you must configure the following parameters:
   Quantity	The number of cloud computers that you want to create in the pool.
   Subscription Duration	The valid period of the pool. You can specify a period of time and enable auto-renewal for the pool based on your business requirements.
   Allow Auto-creation	If an end user requests a cloud computer in the pool but no cloud computers are available, the system creates a cloud computer based on the template that you selected and assigns the cloud computer to the end user. The new cloud computer is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. If the end user disconnects from the cloud computer, the cloud computer is automatically released 10 minutes after the disconnection.
   Max. Auto-created Cloud Computers	If you enable Allow Auto-creation, specify the maximum number of cloud computers that can be created by the system for scale-out to reduce costs.
   If you set the Billing Method parameter to Pay-as-you-go, you must configure the following parameters:
   Min. Cloud Computers	The initial number of cloud computers in the pool. The cloud computers remain in the pool until you release the pool.
   Status of Min. Cloud Computers	By default, all cloud computers that are initially created in a cloud computer pool are started. When the cloud computers are started, you are charged for computing and storage resources. If you want to reduce costs, set this parameter to Stopped. Then, you are charged only for storage resources.
   Max. Cloud Computers	The maximum number of cloud computers in the pool. The system creates cloud computers based on the number of connected users. The number of cloud computers that are created by the system cannot be greater than the value of this parameter. You can specify up to 500 cloud computers.
   Reserved Idle Cloud Computers	Default value: 0. If you specify the number of cloud computers that are permanently reserved in the pool (greater than 0), the cloud computers are created in advance and always available. This shortens the wait time for end users to connect to cloud computers. Note If you do not reserve cloud computers in the pool, the system creates, starts, and then assigns cloud computers when end users request cloud computers. This process takes a longer period of time. We recommend that you reserve a specific number of cloud computers in the pool to improve user experience.

5. Confirm the configured parameters and fees, and click Confirm Order.

6. On the configuration summary page, read and agree to related terms, select Product Terms of Service to the right of the Service Agreement parameter, and then click Create Order.

   • If you set the Billing Method parameter to Pay-as-you-go, no additional operation is required.

   • If you set the Billing Method parameter to Subscription, click Subscribe on the Purchase page and then complete the payment as prompted.

Manage authorized users

If you do not grant permissions to users when you create the pool, you can perform the steps in this section to proceed.

1. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources & Terminals > Cloud Computer Pools.

2. In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.

3. On the Cloud Computer Pools page, find the desired cloud computer pool, click the ⋮ icon in the Actions column, and then click View/Assign Users.

4. In the View/Assign Users panel, perform the following operations based on your business requirements:

   • Grant permissions

     1. Click Authorize User.

     2. In the Authorize User dialog box, select the users to which you want to grant permissions and click OK.

        You can filter users by organization, user property, username, or email address.

   • Revoke permissions

     1. In the Authorized User for Cloud Computer Pools section, select the user from which you want to revoke permissions and click Revoke Authorization.

        You can filter users by organization, username, or email address.

     2. In the message that appears, read warnings and click OK.

        Note

        The system requires a period of time to revoke permissions from users. You can view the updated authorized user list after the process is complete.

Configure sessions

A session is established when an end user connects to a cloud computer from a Alibaba Cloud Workspace terminals and closed when the end user disconnects from the cloud computer. To use cloud computers to the fullest extent, you can configure sessions by configuring parameters, such as Max. Session Duration, Keep-active Duration, Max. Duration of Idle Session.

1. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources & Terminals > Cloud Computer Pools.

2. In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.

3. On the Cloud Computer Pools page, find the desired cloud computer pool and click its pool ID.

4. On the details page of the pool, click the Basic Information tab, scroll down to the Pool Session section, and then configure session parameters. The following table describes the parameters.

   Parameter	Description
   Max. Session Duration	The maximum duration of a session. Valid values: 15 to 5760. Unit: minutes. If an end user is still connecting to a pooled cloud computer 5 minutes before the specified duration elapses, the end user is prompted to save the data. In this case, the end user must save the data on the cloud computer to prevent data loss. When the specified duration elapses, the session is automatically disconnected.
   Keep-active Duration	The duration for which a session remains active after the session is disconnected. Valid values: 3 to 5760. Unit: minutes. If a session is disconnected regardless of the reason, the session remains active for a period of time. If an end user resumes the session within the specified period of time, the original data can still be accessed. If the end user does not resume the session within the specified period of time, unsaved data is cleared and the session is closed. Important You can also select Always. This way, sessions remain active even after the sessions are disconnected. However, this may occupy the session quota, and new end users may be unable to connect to cloud computers in the pool. Proceed with caution.
   Max. Duration of Idle Session	After an end user connects to a cloud computer in the pool, a session is established. If the system does not detect inputs from the keyboard or mouse on the cloud computer within the specified period of time, the session is disconnected. Valid values: 6 to 60. Default value: 15. Unit: minutes. If the end user is still connecting to the cloud computer 30 seconds before the specified period of time elapses, the end user is prompted to save the data. In this case, the end user must save the data on the cloud computer to prevent data loss. Note This parameter applies only to cloud computers whose image version is V1.0.2 or later.

Configure disk reset and scheduled start or stop tasks

You can configure disk reset settings, such as disk reset type and reset triggering conditions, for cloud computers in a cloud computer pool. You can also configure scheduled start or stop tasks for the cloud computers.

1. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources & Terminals > Cloud Computer Pools.

2. In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.

3. On the Cloud Computer Pools page, find the desired cloud computer pool and click its pool ID.

4. On the details page of the pool, click the Basic Information tab, scroll down to the Pool Reset and Scheduled Start/Stop section, and then configure parameters. The following table describes the parameters.

   Parameter	Description
   Reset Type	The reset scope of disks, including system disks and data disks, of cloud computers in the pool.
   Reset Time	The time when disks are automatically reset. Valid values: Auto: Disks of pooled cloud computers are automatically reset after end users disconnect from the cloud computers. Scheduled: Disks are automatically reset at specified points in time. If you select this option, specify the points in time in the Configure Scheduled Reset Time panel.
   Scheduled Start/Stop	The points in time at which pooled cloud computers are started or stopped. If you select Enable for this parameter, specify the points in time in the Scheduled Start/Stop Time panel. Important When you configure scheduled stop and restart tasks, set the Forcibly Stop/Restart Cloud Computer parameter to Yes or No. If you select Yes, cloud computers are forcibly stopped or restarted regardless of whether the cloud computers are in use. End users are prompted to save data 5 minutes before the cloud computers are forcibly stopped or restarted. If the end users do not save data, all data on the cloud computers are lost.

Manage power options

You can start, stop, or restart pooled cloud computers in the same manner that you do on regular computers.

1. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources & Terminals > Cloud Computer Pools.

2. In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.

3. On the Cloud Computer Pools page, find the desired cloud computer pool and click Start, Stop, or Restart in the Actions column. In the message that appears, click OK.

Change images

After all cloud computers in the pool are stopped, you can change the image of the pool.

1. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources & Terminals > Cloud Computer Pools.

2. In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.

3. On the Cloud Computer Pools page, find the desired cloud computer pool and click Change Image in the Actions column.

4. In the Change Image panel, follow the on-screen instructions to proceed. For more information, see Change the image of a cloud computer or cloud computer pool.

   Warning

   After you change the image, the software and private data in the system disks of the pooled cloud computers are cleared and cannot be restored. Before you change the image, make sure that all system disk data of the pooled cloud computers is backed up.

Configure user data roaming

Each time an end user connects to a pooled cloud computer, the cloud computer is different from the one to which the end user previously connected. Data on pooled cloud computers is automatically reset based on the disk reset type. Therefore, personal settings or private data of end users may be lost after the end users disconnect from the current pooled cloud computers.

User Profile Management (UPM) supports the user data roaming feature. After the user data roaming feature is enabled, UPM is authorized to access user data in the C:\Users\username directory on the cloud computer to which an end user connects. Then, UPM stores the data in the C:\Users directory of an Apsara File Storage NAS (NAS) file system mounted to the office network of the pool. This way, data in the C:\Users\username directory is always synchronized and visible only to the end user.

To enable and configure the user data roaming feature, perform the following steps:

1. Choose one of the following scenarios to proceed:

   1. Scenario 1: If you enable this feature for a new cloud computer pool, select Enable in the User Data Roaming section of the Elastic Desktop Service Create Pool page.

   2. Scenario 2: If you enable this feature for an existing cloud computer pool, click the ID of the desired cloud computer pool. On the pool details page, click the Basic Information tab and turn on User Data Roaming in the lower part of the Pool Information section.

2. Select an existing NAS file system or click Create NAS File System to create a file system as prompted.

   Note

   • If you want to use the user data roaming feature, initialize a NAS file system. The initialization process requires a period of time to complete. After you enable the feature, you cannot disable the feature during initialization. After you initialize the NAS file system, the feature takes effect.

   • For more information about NAS file systems, see General-purpose NAS file systems.

3. (Optional) If you want to implement fine-grained control on the roaming scope, configure directory blacklist and whitelist. Roaming for all data in the C:\Users\username directory is supported.

   1. Choose one of the following scenarios to proceed:

      1. Scenario 1: If you are on the Elastic Desktop Service Create Pool page, click UPM Blacklist and Whitelist.

      2. Scenario 2: If you are on the details page of a cloud computer pool, click View/Configure Blacklist and Whitelist after a NAS file system is mounted to the office network in which the pool resides.

   2. In the UPM Blacklist and Whitelist panel, click Add to Blacklist. In the dialog box that appears, add level-1 directories.

      Level-1 directories are the directories to which the files or folders you want to exclude from the roaming scope belong.

   3. (Optional) Click Add Level-2 Whitelist in the Actions column of a level-1 directory.

      Level-2 directories are the directories to which the files or folders you want to include in the roaming scope belong. After you configure the blacklist and whitelist, only the level-2 directories in the level-1 directories support roaming.

View and modify basic properties

After you create a cloud computer pool, you can view and modify the basic properties of the pool anytime. The properties include the name of the pool and the associated policy.

1. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources & Terminals > Cloud Computer Pools.

2. In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.

3. On the Cloud Computer Pools page, find the desired cloud computer pool and click its pool ID.

4. On the pool details page, click the Basic Information tab. In the Pool Information section, you can view or modify the basic properties of the pool.

   For example, you can change the pool name and modify the associated policy. For a pay-as-you-go cloud computer pool, you can modify parameters, such as Min. Cloud Computers, Status of Min. Cloud Computers, and Max. Cloud Computers.

Delete a cloud computer pool

If you no longer require a cloud computer pool, you can delete the pool. Before you delete the pool, make sure that the following conditions are met:

• No end users are connecting to cloud computers in the pool, and no users are authorized to use the cloud computers. For more information about how to revoke permissions on cloud computer pools from authorized users, see Manage authorized users.

• For subscription cloud computer pools, you must unsubscribe from valid cloud computers in the pool before you delete the pool. For more information about how to unsubscribe from cloud computers, see Refunds.

To delete a cloud computer pool, perform the following steps:

1. Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service console.

2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Resources & Terminals > Cloud Computer Pools.

3. In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.

4. On the Cloud Computer Pools page, find the cloud computer pool that you want to delete and click Delete in the Actions column. In the message that appears, click OK.

   Warning

   After you delete the pool, all data of cloud computers in the pool is deleted, and cannot be restored. Proceed with caution.