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Unidesk 2.10 for vSphere

Jun 28 , 2017

This pdf file includes the Unidesk 2.10 documentation. You can save a local copy of this file and use it offline.

Use the built-in Search and Bookmark features to find what you need. Avoid using the links in this file, as

they refer back to the landing page.

Plan

Unidesk infrastructure

Unidesk appliances and datastores

Unidesk 2.x Platform Support

Unidesk Layer storage

Unidesk storage sizing and disk speed

RPO and RTO requirements

Unidesk component availability

Local recovery options

Disaster recovery options

Deploy

Unidesk 2.10 Release notes


Storage and hardware requirements

Conf igure vCenter permissions

Install Unidesk software and tools

Upgrade Unidesk

Conf igure email notif ications

Set a Session Timeout for the Unidesk Management Console Creat e a Secondary CachePoint

Appliance Connect to a Directory Service

Integrate with a broker

Create an OS Layer

Create an Installation Machine


Create Application Layers

Create Desktops

Back up appliances

Administer

Unidesk Management Console

Unidesk Layers

Desktops

Appliance Backup Utility

Unidesk broker agent

Users and groups

Monitor Unidesk virtual appliances

Get notif ied of CachePoint service

issues Monitor tasks

Open ports in your f irewall for Unidesk

Logging

VMware hosts and datastores

Move (migrate) Appliances and Desktops

Generate Unidesk reports

Delete Unidesk components


Plan

Jun 28 , 2017

Plan












Jun 28 , 2017

The Unidesk solution provides simplified management, significant storage efficiency, performance, operational agility, and

persistent personalization or customization of desktop virtual machines. The Unidesk environment includes collection of

virtual appliances that run in your existing virtual infrastructure. These appliances work together to dynamically composite

desktops that look and feel just like ordinary virtual desktops.

The following diagram shows the logical infrastructure of the Unidesk environment. The Unidesk environment is a grid of

virtual appliances that replicate operating system, application, and user workspace layers across an enterprise network. This

environment uses the Unidesk Composite Virtualization™ technology to synthesize the layers into complete, personalized

desktops.

For the latest information about what platforms Unidesk supports, see Platform Support.

Unidesk layers

A Unidesk desktop is a composite of layers that provide the operating system, applications, and user data. Unidesk stores all

layers as VMware Virtual Machine Disk (VMDK) files in datastores in your virtual infrastructure. Unidesk uses the following

types of layers to create a virtual desktop:

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/plan/unidesk-2-x-platform-support.html


Layer Description

Operating

SystemAn Operating System Layer contains an imported copy of the operating system from a gold image.

Application An Application Layer contains one or more applications that you assign to a desktop.

User

A layer that behaves similarly to an Application Layer. This layer collects all of the user's changes to a desktop and persists

those changes through desktop restarts and changes to application and OS layer changes.

The Unidesk software creates this layer when you create a desktop.

Unidesk storage tiers

Unidesk stores content in three distinct tiers. Each tier can have its own datastore or you can assign multiple tiers to the

same datastore.

Tier Description

Boot

The Boot tier contains boot images and page files for your desktops. The boot image serves the kernel for a desktop.

Once a boot image exists for a particular desktop, this tier retains the image as a VMDK file. If a particular desktop

becomes corrupted or lost, Unidesk can simply recreate the boot image for that desktop.

The performance of this tier can affect the performance of desktops.

CachePoint®

and Layers

The CachePoint and Layers tier contains the CachePoint Appliances as well as OS, Application, and User layers for your

desktops. Each layer exists as a discrete VMDK file. A boot image created from the Desktop tier draws additional layers

from this tier to finish creating a desktop. The majority of Input/Output activities take place on this tier.

The performance of this tier can affect the performance of desktops.

Archive

If you have chosen to back up your desktops, this tier stores backup images of the User layer. If you need to repair or

restore a desktop, Unidesk retrieves the archived image from this tier and restores it to the CachePoint and Layers tier.

This tier receives these images from your CachePoint Appliances. This tier does not require a connection to your

desktops.

The performance of this tier does not affect the performance of your desktops.



Jun 28 , 2017

The Unidesk appliances include software for managing the Unidesk environment, master copies of all Layers, and the

configuration data for your Desktops.

Management Appliance

The Management Appliance is a virtual appliance that coordinates the communication between the Unidesk Management

Console, the CachePoint® Appliances, and the virtual infrastructure. The Management Appliance includes these

components.

Component Description

Unidesk Management

Console

The Web-based application that administrators use to manage the following components:

Virtual desktops

Operating System Layers

Application Layers

Directory service integration points

The Unidesk infrastructure

Management

infrastructure

The software that controls the workflow required to manage virtual machines. It includes a database that

stores the following information:

Data about all of the Operating System and Application Layers that exist in the system.

All data from the Unidesk Management Console.

Schemas that implement back-end storage in the virtual infrastructure.

Master CachePoint Appliance

The first CachePoint Appliance that you provision in the Unidesk environment becomes the Master CachePoint Appliance .

This virtual appliance maintains the master copy of all of the Operating System and Application Layers in the Unidesk

environment. The Master CachePoint Appliance stores the layers as VMware VMDK files in its datastore.

The Master CachePoint Appliance automatically replicates Operating System and Application Layers to secondary

CachePoint Appliances that manage desktops that use these layers. Layer replication to secondary CachePoint Appliances

occurs only if one or more desktops associated with a specific CachePoint Appliance needs the layers.

The Master CachePoint Appliance also manages the Installation Machines that you use to create and modify Operating

System and Application Layers . An Installation Machine is a special type of desktop that you use to create Application

Layers or add versions to existing Operating System and Application Layers. The Master CachePoint Appliance stores the

VMDK files for Installation Machines in its datastore.

Secondary CachePoint Appliance

The Secondary CachePoint Appliances are responsible for:


The initial deployment of desktops.

Deployment of desktop configuration changes.

These appliances maintain copies of the layers that desktops need in its datastore. They also store the VMDK files

associated with the desktops deployed in the same datastore. All desktops associated with a specific CachePoint Appliance

share the same layers.

The CachePoint file system

Each CachePoint Appliance (including the Master CachePoint Appliance) has a folder in the Virtual Machine File System

(VMFS) in its assigned datastore. This folder contains the following files and subfolders:

CachePoint Appliance folder - contains VMDK files for the CachePoint Appliance (virtual appliance).

UnideskLayers folder - can contain the following subfolders.

UnideskLayersfolder

Contains a VMDK f ile for each

OS Operating System Layer that the CachePoint Appliance needs.

App Application Layer that the CachePoint Appliance.

User

Desktop that the CachePoint Appliance manages. For each desktop, a folder contains two VMDK files:

Folder for the desktop configuration data, for example, data for user-installed application and system

settings.

Folder for the user data. These make up the User Layer.

The following example shows a typical CachePoint Appliance file system.

The CachePoint Appliances and Desktop operation


Because the desktop connects directly to its layers, the state of the CachePoint Appliance has no effect on desktop

operation. For example, you can shut down a CachePoint Appliance without affecting active desktops.

To users, desktop virtual machines appear as standard desktop computers.



Jun 28 , 2017

Third-party software that the Unidesk 2.x infrastructure either requires or supports includes the following.

Infrastructure software

Supported virtual infrastructure software:

VMware (Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, Desktop)

vSphere, vCenter Server 6.0, 6.0 U1, 5.5, 5.5 U1, 5.5 U2, 5.1, 5.1 U2, 5.0, 5.0 U1, and 5.0 U3. (Support for v 6.0 added in

Unidesk 2.8.3.)

If using high-end VAAI-enabled storage, ESXi 6.0, 5.5 U1, 5.5 U2, 5.1 U2, or 5.0 is required to ensure optimal Desktop

build performance. (Support for v 6.0 added in Unidesk 2.8.3.)

VMware Virtual SAN (vSAN)

vSAN 5.5 is supported

vSAN 6 and later is not supported

If using vSAN with vSphere 5.5, backups must be stored on a non-vSAN storage location. Please see the following

topic for requirements and recommendations: Plan Storage Size

Untested VMware features:

Testing of functionality new in VMware 6, such as vSAN 6 and NVIDIA Grid vGPU has not yet been completed. If you

are interested in using vGPU, please be aware that VMware does not support snapshots, and therefore you cannot

use vGPU in combination with Unidesk’s Desktop Backup functionality.

Unsupported VMware features:

VMware Storage vMotion migrate command, vSphere Storage - Profile-Driven Storage, and Distributed Power

Management.

Virtualization connection broker

The following brokers are directly integrated with Unidesk. Other connection brokers are supported, but without direct

integration.

VMware Horizon ViewHorizon View 7.0-7.2, 6.0-6.2, 5.0-5.3 (If running View 5.1 with Windows XP, please see Windows XP in the Known

Issues sect ion of the Release Notes.)

Horizon View Persona Profile Management 5.x, 6.0. Person Profile Management 6.1 and later is unsupported.

Unsupported feature: Storage Accelerator (Unidesk will not work if Horizon View Storage Accelerator is turned on.)

Citrix XenDesktop

XenDesktop 5.6, 5.5 (Standard, Advanced, Enterprise, Platinum)

XenDesktop 7.6, 7.5, 7.1, 7.0 (VDI, App, Enterprise, Platinum)

Note: You cannot use XenDesktop 7.0 with Windows 8.1 Desktops. Instead, use one of the other supported

XenDesktop versions.

Citrix User Profile Management (UPM)

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/plan/unidesk-storage-sizing-and-disk-speed.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/release-notes.html


Pano Logic

Pano System 6.0, 5.0

Internet browser

The Unidesk Management Console (UMC) supports any standards-based browser that supports Silverlight 4.0.

Desktop operating system

Unidesk Desktops support the following operating systems:

Microsof t Windows 10 Version 1511, 1607 (Build 10586) 64-bit (Enterprise, Education) – Only supported on ESXi

version 6.0 and above.Microsoft Windows 8.1 Update, 32-bit, 64-bit (Professional, Enterprise)

Microsoft Windows 7 SP1, 32-bit, 64-bit (Professional, Ultimate, Enterprise)

Windows Server 2012 R2 64-bit (Datacenter Edition)

Windows Server 2008 R2, 64-bit (Datacenter Edition)

Microsoft Windows XP SP3, 32-bit (Professional)

NoteSingle-byte language packs are supported for all platforms, except for Windows XP. The language pack is supported in the Gold

image only.

Session Host Operating System

Windows Server 2012 R2 64-bit (Datacenter Edition). See Horizon View RDSH and XenApp integration with Unidesk for

vSphere for details.

Directory service

Unidesk supports these directory services:

Novell eDirectory

Microsoft Active Directory

https://www.unidesk.com/forum/application-layer-recipes/horizon-view-rdsh-and-xenapp-integration-unidesk-vsphere



Jun 28 , 2017

Unidesk Application and Operating System Layers are stored as separate vmdk files on a VMware-supported datastore.

Desktops mount these files directly from the datastore as independent non-persistent disks, in a many-to-one fashion. This

is similar to linked clones, except in Unidesk there can be up to 50 application layer vmdk files connected to each virtual

desktop.

Master CachePoint Appliance on the datastore

The following image shows the file structure of a Master CachePoint Appliance on the datastore. Note the folders for the

User, Operating System (OS), and Application (App) Layers. These hold the User Personalization Layers, Operating System

Layers, and Application Layers, respectively.

Each deployed desktop also has a folder with files, as shown in the image below. Here you see the VM’s vmx files, virtual

machine vswp swap file, boot drive vmdk, as well as a delta disk and REDO log for each Application or Operating System

Layer attached to the desktop. This file structure provides a great deal of information. For example it is easy to determine

the space used by a particular layer.


Each Unidesk Layer version starts as a full clone of the previous layer. Changes are made to the layer and saved. This means

that versions are always the same size or larger than the version before as shown below.

Unidesk storage tiers

Boot drives

CachePoint Appliance and Layer storage

Archive storage



Jun 28 , 2017

Maximizing the use of expensive storage resources is one of the key design goals for virtualization architects, and with

Virtual Desktop designs it may be even more important than with other designs due to the number of machines included.

This article explains how a Unidesk Desktop is configured for storage and how to right size your storage when deploying a

Unidesk solution. Use the Unidesk Storage Calculator along with this article to determine your storage needs.

General guidelines

Storage tiers and disk speed

Storage tier Disk speed About

CachePoint Appliance and Layers Fast storage The User Layer is where the majority of desktop writes are made.

Boot Images Slower storage Requires little IO, only during desktop boot.

Archive Slower storage Stores periodic backup of User Layers.

Desktop disk access

Desktops access Layers by connecting to them via the VMware storage stack.

◾ The boot drive – attached as an independent persistent disk.

◾ The two User Layer vmdks – attached as normal disks.

◾ The Operating System Layer and Application Layers – accessed as independent non-persistent disks.

A Desktop can be rebooted when its CachePoint is down. However, any change to the Desktop's settings or layers

requires the CachePoint to be running.

General storage and hardware requirements

Local versus centralized storageYou can use local or centralized storage (or a mixture of both). For the Management Appliance and Master

CachePoint Appliance, we recommend centralized (shared) storage with VMware High Availability (HA) services for the

quickest recovery if a host failure occurs.

Management Appliance storageThe Management Appliance contains the configuration MySQL database and the host's Unidesk Management

Console. You can deploy the Management Appliance on any host in your infrastructure within the same Datacenter.

https://docs.citrix.com/content/dam/docs/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/downloads/unidesk-storage-footprint-2.6.xlsx


The only requirement is to be able to communicate, using TCP/IP, with the CachePoint Appliances and the vCenter

server.

When you run the Unidesk installer, select a Datastore for the Management Appliance with the highest redundancy

and security available. Typically, this is the same type of Datastore used for traditional servers as they have advanced

features such as Array-Level snapshots, backups, or Replication.

CachePoint storageCachePoint Appliances use the datastore to store all the resources required by your Unidesk installation. The Master

CachePoint Appliance stores copies of all of the Layers in your environment, yet it may require less storage than

Secondary CachePoint Appliances because it does not store Personalization Layers.

Unideskstoragetier

Sizing guidelines

CachePoint

and Layers

T ier

The CachePoint and Layers T ier contains the component layers that Unidesk uses to build your desktops. This tier

contains the following:

The CachePoint Appliance - 16 GB each for the Master CachePoint and each Secondary CachePoint.

OS Layers - 25 GB per layer and version of layer

Application Layers - Depends on the size of the application files. Normally about 2X the size of the installed files.

(Minimum = 500 MB)

User Layer - Normally 2-8 GB; can be larger as requirements dictate

Boot

Images

T ier

The Boot Images T ier contains the component boot images that Unidesk uses to build your desktops. This tier contains

the following:

VMDK files for the Unidesk Boot Image and Windows Page File.

VMDK .REDO and delta files for each of the desktop's Layers.

Standard VMware files such as the nvram, vmx, and log files.

Desktop page (virtual swap) files (*.vswp file).

The typical storage for a Boot Image T ier is 1 GB + Windows Page File size + Desktop Memory allocation per desktop

Archive

T ier

The Archive T ier contains the backup versions of your desktops' personalization layers. archive backups of your

desktops. This tier is used only if you have enabled persistent desktop backups. A typical Archive T ier requires roughly 10

GB per desktop.

Unidesk storage usage details

Types of storage and how they appear to the Desktop

The types of storage used in a Unidesk deployment include storage for:

◾ Each virtual appliance

◾ Virtual desktop boot and page files

◾ The Desktop User Layer

◾ OS and Application Layers


If we look at the disk manager of a Unidesk virtual desktop we can see how the storage appears to the desktop.

Take, for example, the following desktop which has only a base OS plus two application layers.

How storage appears to the Desktop

Each Desktop's C: drive is made up of several partitions.

Partitions Description

A The Desktop's Unidesk Boot Image.

B A mounting of the OS layer from the CachePoint storage volume.

C The mounting of the Application Layers. One disk for each Layer.

D and E

The Desktop User Layer.

D is for the application files.

E is for the user data.

The remainder of this article details the storage requirements and provides a practical section on determining storage

requirements in your environment. We will refer back to this diagram in each section.

Storage for each virtual appliance

Each virtual appliance used for the Unidesk solution has a boot partition/drive created as a VMware VMDK.

In a solution with 5 hosts using one CachePoint per host there will be 10+7+(5*7)+7 or 59 GB required for the Unidesk

appliances.

The following table shows the storage amount used for this requirement.

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/plan_storage_sizing_1.png


Appliance Size

Management Appliance 10-GB

Master CachePoint Appliance 16-GB

Secondary CachePoint Appliance 16-GB X Number of Secondary CPs

CachePoint Template16-GB

Storage for virtual desktop boot and page files

Each Unidesk desktop has a native VMware disk file used for its boot disk. This is shown as partition A in Diagram 1.

The size of the boot disk is calculated based on the answers to the Storage Settings page in the Create Desktop

wizard plus 1-GB. VMware also reserves swap space equal to the amount of memory for the VM.

To calculate the amount required per virtual desktop use the following table.

Use Size

Page File Size

(% Memory)Normally 50% or 100% of Memory

VMware Swap

Space100% of Memory

Plus 1-GB 1-GB

So, in an example where we deploy a Windows 7 virtual desktop with 2048-MB of RAM and a 50% Page file, we would get:


Use Size

Page File Size

(% Memory)50% - 1-GB

VMware Swap

Space2048-MB

Plus 1-GB 1-GB

Total

Provisioned Space

4-GB

Storage for the Desktop User Layer

The storage used within each Desktop's User Layer is stored on the Datastore of the CachePoint that the desktop is

deployed to. The amount of storage available to the Desktop is based on the "Storage for User Data (GB)" within the

Create Desktop wizard.

The amount of storage defined here will likely have the greatest impact on the amount of storage used for the

solution. Each desktop is configured with two partitions based on this size. Each disk is the same size. One stores the

"controlled" files associated with applications or plugins installed into the User Layer While the other stores user data

files. The distinction between the two is based on file extensions. Unknown extensions are placed into the User Data

partition. It is possible to fill up both of these disks to their full size allocated. These partitions are shown in Diagram 1

above as D and E.

When a desktop is first deployed the data in the User Layer is very small. As the desktop is first booted and then used,

files that are that are created and modified are stored on these disks.

All files fall into this category including:

◾ User Profile and Documents.

◾ User Installed applications.

◾ Automated updates from antivirus, the OS, etc.

◾ Temp files, including file downloads and browser cache files. Even if you download to a file server, most browsers

create a temp file first on the local disk.

◾ Windows log files and other operating system files that get modified during normal Windows operation.

When files are deleted in NTFS they are marked as available but the file system driver may or may not reuse the

available blocks. NTFS actually looks for available space anywhere on the disk with enough un-fragmented clusters to

store the file. It also assumes the file will need to grow and looks for space for between 2 and 16 times the file size.

This means that often the file system will use never-before-written-to blocks because they have room for the file and

growth. It is best to assume that whatever size is allocated for user storage will be eventually fully utilized. Therefore


it ’s important to figure out the smallest amount of user storage that will work for the solution.

A good rule of thumb may be to allocate 5 GB per desktop for user space. If an email ost or pst file will also reside on

the desktop that should be added into the equation as extra space.

Storage for OS and Application Layers

The calculation for OS and Application layers is much more straight forward. When you create a layer the files that

are installed are what are stored. The majority of the storage for applications comes from the application files. For

the operating system the same is true. The files that make up the operating system should be calculated without the

page file as that is accounted for elsewhere.

This storage is added to the amount required in CachePoint storage.

Local versus SAN Storage

Keep in mind when designing your solution that Unidesk can be used with either local or SAN storage. The design of

which to use should be based on service level agreements for desktop availability and cost. If local storage is used the

overall cost will normally be lower than SAN storage but VMware HA and DRS cannot be used.

Calculate Total Storage

If we take each of these sections and add them up we can calculate storage requirements. The best way to look at

storage is to define what is required for the CachePoint Datastores separate from the appliance storage.

Appliance Storage

As shown above appliance storage is defined in the table below:

Appliance Size

Management Appliance 10-GB

Master CachePoint Appliance 16-GB

CachePoint Appliance 16-GB X Number of Secondary CPs

CachePoint Template16-GB

Master CachePoint Storage

The Master CachePoint holds one copy of all layers in the system. To determine the size of the VMDK used to store

layers, add up each operating system size, expected growth of the OS layers based on patching, a forecast of

application layer size, and application layer updates. A good start for a small environment may be 250 GB. It is easy to

add storage to the CachePoints if more space is required.


Host CachePoint Storage

The CachePoints deployed to each host will hold OS and Application Layers used by the Desktops on that host, plus

User Layers for the Desktop on that CachePoint, plus Snapshots of the User Layers. Also, each Desktop boot disk is

often stored on the same Datastore as the CachePoint storage.

Often these values will be rounded up for safety but remember that most SANs can increase LUN size and VMware

can grow VMFS Datastores so it is better to start lean and add storage as necessary as you learn more about your

environment.

The following example calculation is based on deploying 50 Desktops per CachePoint.

Snapshot Date Size

1 Space Per Desktop for Boot Drive 50 X 4 = 200-GB

2 OS Layers (Win 7) 20-GB

3 User Layer 50 X 4-GB = 200-GB

4 Application Layers 15-GB

5 Snapshots (3 Days) 50 X 2.5-GB = 125-GB

6 Free Space (10%) 36-GB

Total for Datastore (1-6) 596-GB

Total for CachePoint Layers (2-6) 396-GB

VMware Virtual SAN (VSAN) Requirements and Recommendations

VSAN Requirements

The Management Appliance and Master CachePoint Appliance backups must be stored on a separate storage system

rather than on the local VSAN. This is so that the MA, MCP and User Layer backups are outside of the failure domain

of the VSAN.

Further, if a CachePoint is using VSAN for any of its storage tiers, the standard Unidesk Desktop (User Personalization

Layer) Backup feature is not supported, due to a recent change in VMware’s file layout.

For successful Desktop backups in a VSAN environment, you must:

◾ Leave the Archive tier set to None when creating your CachePoint Appliances.


◾ Contact Unidesk Support for a VSAN Desktop Backup script to use until further notice.

VSAN Recommendations

VSAN storage is recommended for environments with minimalLlayers. The maximum number of Desktops per host is

calculated based on the Average number of Application Layers per Desktop.

VSAN limitations

Based on our testing, a 3-host VSAN cluster supports approximately the numbers of Desktops shown below, based

on the number of Layers per Desktop. These numbers are approximate, as the number of VMDKs and files varies

based on the power state of the virtual machines.

A 3-Host VSAN cluster can handle the following numbers of Desktops per host, based on the average number of

Application Layers per Desktop.

These figures are based on Persistent Desktops. Non-persistent Desktops add 2-3 more snapshots per VM---like

adding 1 Application Layer to each VM.

◾ 0 App Layers – 300 total Desktops, 100 Desktops per host (artificial VMware VSAN limit)

◾ 5 App Layers – 150 total Desktops, 50 Desktops per host (limited by number of storage components)

◾ 10 App Layers – 99-100 Desktops total, 33 Desktops per host (limited by number of storage components)



These numbers will scale linearly. If you add another host, it will also have a 3000-component limit. Thus a 4-host

cluster with 10 Application Layers will still be limited to about 33 Desktops per host.

To determine the average number of Desktops you can host, open the VSAN Desktop Calculator and enter the

average number of Layers per Desktop.

Errors when the Desktop limit is reached on VSAN

When you exceed the limits of a VSAN, the following errors occur:

◾ No more Desktops will power on. The existing Desktops continue to run, but if you try to add a Layer to 90

Desktops (thus, adding a couple of hundred files to VMFS), once the file limit is reached, any Desktops that are being

rebuilt will not power on, and will be in a Down state after the maintenance window.

◾ The task in Unidesk fails with a "General VM config fault" returned from vCenter.

◾ In vCenter, you see a "failed to make unique file name" when it cannot create or attach the next file, generally a

snapshot on an independent, Non-persistent disk.

◾ For each Layer you add above 10, you lose about 2 Desktops per host.



Jun 28 , 2017

To design the appropriate architecture for local recovery and Disaster Recovery, you must first define the recovery point

objectives (RPO) and recovery time objectives (RTO) for your virtual desktops. Without an agreement between you and your

users on these values, it can be very hard to make decisions about your approach to Disaster Recovery.

Recovery point objectives (RPO)

The RPO defines the point in time when desktops must be restored after a disaster occurs. This value defines the longest

time allowed between backups.

Recovery time objectives (RTO)

The RTO defines the time it takes to recover a system or data to the desired state. This value defines the worst case for

recovery of a desktop or data within the desktop.

Generally speaking, the shorter the RTO and RPO, the more costly the infrastructure you need to deploy. Values for RTO

and RPO can be different for a single desktop compared to an entire host or a CachePoint Appliance and its desktops.

Typically, these values are different for local recovery and Disaster Recovery.



Jun 28 , 2017

Unidesk availability is dependent on the architecture for both Unidesk components and the non-Unidesk (third-party)

components on which Unidesk depends.

Availability

Non-Unidesk component availability

Unidesk is deployed as part of a more complex environment. When discussing the availability and recoverability of

Unidesk, we must also mention the availability and recoverability of the other components in the infrastructure.

VMware vSphere

In VMware vSphere, you must design availability for the following components:

◾vCenter Server

◾vSphere hosts

◾vSphere storage

If the vCenter server is down, Unidesk desktops continue to run. You can also continue to restart them from within

the desktop but not from the Unidesk Management Console. You cannot, however, create desktops and layers. If

Unidesk tries to rebuild desktops, the rebuild fails and the desktop becomes unusable until the vCenter server is

running again and the desktop rebuild occurs.

If the vSphere host fails, the desktops and Unidesk virtual appliances that are running on that host fail. If you are

using SAN storage, Unidesk desktops can take advantage of VMware High Availability Services (HA). VMware HA can

restart desktops when a host failure occurs and sufficient resources are available in the HA cluster to support the

load of the desktops. In Unidesk 2.x the desktops are not reliant on the CachePoints to run. However if the desktops

require a rebuild then they do require the CachePoints are running, so CP’s should also be included in an HA design. For

this reason the CachePoint Appliance should have a higher HA restart priority setting then the desktops so that it

restarts first.

The availability of storage is, of course, critical to the availability of CachePoint Appliances and its desktops. If the

storage they reside on is unavailable, so are the appliances and desktops.

Connection Broker Infrastructure

No matter what connection broker you use to direct users to their desktops, it is important that you design

appropriately for failure of the brokering components. Brokers all have some form of the following components:

◾Remote access infrastructure.

◾Connection broker server.

If parts of your connection broker infrastructure are unavailable, access to your virtual desktops is affected, even if

they are running. Using VMware View as an example, if you use a View Security Gateway in your DMZ, and no running

gateway is available, there is no way for end users to access their desktops for remote access. Similarly, if your View


Connection Server is not available, end users cannot connect to their VMware View desktops.

If the connection server you are using for Unidesk integration is not available, you will not be able to deploy Unidesk

desktops that are integrated with VMware View.

Running Unidesk desktops are unaffected by the failure of these components. Whether the user is affected by the

failure of a connection server depends on whether you route the display protocol (PCoIP, HDX or RDP) traffic through

the connection server or just use the connection server to authenticate the user session.

Network Infrastructure

VDI solutions are heavily dependent on network resources for availability of the solution. This dependency applies to

both LAN and WAN components. Many components in a VDI infrastructure stop working if the network is not

available or if it is overloaded.

VDI endpoints

Every VDI solution has one or more endpoints from which users access the virtual infrastructure. Endpoints can be thin

clients, personal computers or smartphones, and tablets. Without an endpoint, end users cannot connect to their

virtual desktops.


Unidesk Management Appliance (MA)

The Unidesk Management Appliance manages the Unidesk solution. The Management Appliance hosts the main

Unidesk database, supports the management interface, and provides much of the business logic and process

management for the Unidesk platform.

If the Management Appliance is not available, running desktops are unaffected except when a rebuild is pending. In

this case, the rebuild does not take place. If you can restart the desktops, they become available.

Unidesk Master CachePoint Appliance (MCP)

The Unidesk Master CachePoint Appliance replicates the Operating System and Application Layers to downstream

(secondary) CachePoint Appliances. If the Master CachePoint Appliance is unavailable, you cannot create layers and

the Master CachePoint Appliance cannot replicate existing layers to other CachePoint Appliances. However, layers

that were already replicated continue to function properly. The Master CachePoint Appliance has no impact on

whether a desktop is running or if you can restart it.

You can continue to create and edit desktops as long as the layers they need already exist on the new desktop’s

CachePoint Appliance.

Unidesk downstream Secondary CachePoint Appliances (SCPs)

The secondary CachePoint Appliances provision Unidesk desktops and manage layer vmdk files for the desktops. If

the secondary CachePoint Appliance is not available, desktops will continue to run. Desktops can be rebooted as long

as they are not required to rebuild during the reboot. If they do rebuild and their CP is down they will not be able to

boot because the rebuild requires drivers from the CP.

Redundancy

VMware vSphere redundancy


This section provides a high level view of how organizations design for availability (local availability) of their non

Unidesk virtual infrastructure components.

Common approaches to VMware vSphere redundancy

VMware vSphere is normally designed with a significant amount of redundancy. The vSphere high availability

mechanisms include:

◾ Redundant network interfaces.

◾ Host Bus Adapters (HBAs).

◾ Clustered hosts.

Some of the common approaches for designing VMware vSphere redundancy include:

◾ Creating a vCenter cluster using VMware vCenter Heartbeat (an OEM version of Neverfail).

◾ Backing up the vCenter servers regularly and using the backups to recover the server, if required. Most

organizations use this approach.

◾ Running the vCenter server as a virtual machine to allows the use of High Availability (HA) recovery for the

vCenter server.

Considerations for the Unidesk environment

When planning your approach to vSphere redundancy, consider the following situations that are specific to Unidesk:

◾ If a vSphere host fails, all the Unidesk desktops located on that host stop working.

◾ If a vSphere host has only one NIC, and the NIC fails, all the Unidesk desktops become unavailable to the

client end-point. They desktops might stop working if their assigned CachePoint Appliance is located on a

different host.

◾ If the host has a single HBA and the HBA fails, all the Unidesk desktops stop working.

Redundancy can be expensive. If your organizations RTO/RPO requirements are long, it might be sufficient to have a

less redundant host configuration, but you need to ensure that you have enough capacity in terms of extra hosts to

handle a failure.

Connection Broker redundancy

Connection brokers also allow for considerable redundancy. Using VMware View as an example, a fully redundant

architecture would look similar to the following illustration.

In this example, access to VMware View Connection Servers is achieved in the following ways:

◾ Inside the network, end users have direct access to their virtual desktops, after they establish a connection

through the View Connection Server.

◾ For external access, VMware View Security Servers route connections through the DMZ to the View

Connection Servers.

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/redundancy_connection_broker.png


To support this type of configuration, the design requires different View Connection Servers for internal and external

access.

The internal servers provide internal users with direct access to their desktops. A VMware View client on the desktop

uses View Connection Server to establish the initial connection to a desktop. After authentication takes place and

the connection is established, the View client accesses the virtual desktop directly without communicating with the

View Connection Server.

For external servers, you need to configure a separate View Connection Server to allow Secure Tunnel connections

Broker redundancy configuration details

To use this separated solution for internal and external access, as well as redundancy for the View Connection

Servers, four View Connection Servers are required. Since the servers are built as virtual machines, the cost to provide

greater levels of availability is not very high.

You can load balance the external View Security Servers and the internal View Connection Servers to provide a better

experience for end users. If the servers are not load balanced, users would have to switch from one server to another,

if a failure occurs. Load balancing also helps if you require multiple View Connection Servers to handle the traffic load.

If you want to use load balancing, there are many products and outside services that provide this functionality.

Another way to implement load balancing is to purchase two SSL certificates of the same common name and install

one certificate on each View Connection Server. Doing so allows DNS load balancing or DNS round-robin load

balancing to work. The SSL connection goes directly to the View Connection Servers or Security Servers, whichever

the end user access first. However, if one system fails, it must be removed from DNS or other connections fail.

Network Infrastructure redundancy

For the server core, it is normally important to have a redundant switching core with vSphere hosts connected to each

switch in the core.

Server core

For VMware server architectures, a high-speed collapsed backbone core often provides the most redundancy and

best performance between vSphere hosts. You can add access to networks with redundant connections to each

core switch. This approach assumes a smaller data center design, as shown in the following illustration.

If your data center is large enough to require redundant top-of-rack switching which then connects to the network

core, you will probably switch to 10 GB connections for both the top-of-rack switch and the feeder network to the

core.

Again, cost can be a factor. It is critical to understand the RPO/RTO requirements and which design matches those

requirements for the lowest cost.

Endpoint availability for VDI

Maintaining endpoint availability for VDI should be fairly simple to accomplish. If you use thin clients, keep a few extra

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/redundancy_connection_broker_secure_tunnel.png

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/redundancy_network_infrastructure.png


devices on hand. You can replace them quickly, if required. If you are using desktop or laptop PCs, you can take the

same approach. Keep a few extra old or new PCs that are configured to act as access points for your virtual desktop

infrastructure.



Jun 28 , 2017

If you plan to deploy Persistent Desktops for your users, it is very important to plan for a backup and recovery strategy

that allows users to continue to work if an outage occurs and allows you to recover their Desktops to a relatively recent

state. For Non-persistent Desktops, you will likely have a different backup and recovery strategy based on backing up the

base infrastructure plus your file servers.

The components of a Unidesk solution that you'll need to back up include the MA, MCP, and Desktops. You can also back

up the SCPs, but this is not required for a full recovery.

Unidesk MA and MCP backups

You can recover the MA and the MCP by creating image backups of them using a frequency based on the desired RPO.

Backups required for MA and MCP recovery

The Management Appliance is fairly small and easy to back up.

The size of a Master CachePoint Appliance can be between 120 and 250 GB. Creating full backups for CachePoint

Appliances takes longer than backing up the Management Appliance.

The vmdk files that make up the Layers are created as non-persistent independent disks that are only loosely

attached to any virtual machine. This type of disk cannot be backed up by most backup applications because the disk

is not directly associated with a virtual machine. Hence, the Unidesk Backup Utility.

Unidesk Backup Utility for MA and MCP backups

The Unidesk Backup Utility provides a mechanism to back up the vmdk files created by the Master CachePoint

Appliance to a backup VMware datastore.

The Backup Utility also lets you back up the Master CachePoint and the Management Appliance virtual machines.

◾ If you choose to back up the Management Appliance with the Backup Utility, you can either shut down the

appliances before the backup, or use a snapshot. If you choose to not shutdown the Management Appliance

before backup, the backup will be a “Crash Consistent” backup, which means that it is the same as if you

powered off a server with the power button. This is because a snapshot is taken, then the files are copied

directly from the source, but the snapshots are not copied because they are in use. The Master CachePoint

Appliance is always shut down prior to backup of the appliance virtual machine files. For more information on

this tool, see the Backup Utility documentation.

◾ If you have Desktops deployed to the Master CachePoint, then you will also need to use the Unidesk Archive

Functionality to back up User Layers for repair and recovery.

◾ If you have SAN backup/replication technologies in your environment, you could capture the Unidesk Layers

stored by backing up the entire datastore used for the Master CachePoint Appliance. These technologies

should work with Independent Non-persistent disks.

MCP backup file structure (OS and Application Layer backup files)

When MCP Layer backups are run, the target folder structure will look similar to the following.


The scripts create a folder under the target datastore and target folder for the MCP backups and if selected the MA

backups. Under these folders there will be a backup folder named by the date and time the backup is run. Within the

backup folder there will be the appliance itself and a folder called UnideskLayers which holds all of the independent

non-persistent disks created by the MCP.

If you have multiple version of a layer there will be several vmdk files in the application folder.

When we copy the layer vmdk files they are copied as Thin provisioned disks. When we restore them, they are copied

the way they start out so for the MCP layers they stay Thin, for the appliance vmdk’s the are copied out as Thick.

User Layer backups and Desktop repair/restore

User Layer backups

User Layer Backup backups are defined for a Desktop or template to backup at a certain time to the Archive store

defined for the Desktop's CachePoint. Remember that the User layer is created from two separate vmdk files: one for

configuration files, application files, and registry settings, and one for user data. When the backup is taken, VMware

snapshots for the two user layer vmdk files are created and copied to a VMware Datastore we call the Archive store.

The Desktop backup process

The Desktop backup process is as follows:

1. After Desktops are first backed up, there is always a running snapshot for each of the two User layers

2. When the backup is started, a second snapshot is created

3. The original running snapshot is copied to the archive store using the next available revision number in the naming

scheme (see examples below in the Archive Datastore section)

4. The old running snapshot is deleted which merges the changes into the base vmdk files for the User layer

5. The snapshot created when the backup started becomes the new running snapshot for the Desktop

User layer backup file structure

The file structure of the User Layer includes the base UEP vmdk files (shown in the red box) and the running snapshots

(shown in the green box). If no backups are defined, there is no running snapshot.

During a backup there are two more snapshot files, one for each vmdk. These snapshots become xxx.B0.R1.V0-

00000x.vmdk and xxx.B0.R1.V1-00000x.vmdk, as shown in the screen shot on the left. Following the backup, the

original running snapshot is merged, leaving two new running snapshot files, as shown in the screen shot on the right.

But notice the size difference.

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/backup_file_structure_1.png



https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/backups_personalization_layer.png

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/backups_personalization_layer_2.png


User Layer backup retention

In the Unidesk Management Console Settings and Configuration section, there is a setting for Backup Retention

(shown below). This defines how many backups will be retained in the Archive store.

There are important performance implications to setting the retention to a number greater than 30. VMware allows

at most 30 snapshots per virtual machine. So, even though you can set retention to more than 30, this will cause the

backup to create a new “backup chain” after every 30 backups. This means that a new copy of the Desktop User

layers will be created in a new folder and another set of snapshots will be started from that base (see the Archive

Datastore Section). This will add extra storage for every 30 backups and the time it takes to do the backup increases

substantially because of the process used to do the backup rebasing steps.

Why can backup re-basing occur?

There are a few reasons that rebasing can occur during a backup:

◾ The number of backups exceeds 30, as discussed above.

◾ An Administrator creates a VMware snapshot using the vCenter Infrastructure Client, or any other application

creates a snapshot so that there is more than one snapshot on the UEP vmdk.

Note: For a point-in-time snapshot of a Desktop, use the Unidesk Management Console to make a manual

backup.

◾ The GUID of the snapshot closest to base (the oldest one,) does not match the GUID of the last snapshot in

the XML archive metadata file, that file is missing, or the archive xml file does not match the disks actually in the

archive.

The User layer Archive datastore

The Archive datastore is very different from the running User layer datastore. On the archive we create a Unidesk

Backups folder that hosts a folder for each CachePoint with backups. Within the CachePoint folder there is a user

folder with a folder for each Desktop on the CachePoint. The Desktop folder can then contain several

UnideskBackupChain folders. The number of these folders will change based on different circumstances but the

folder holds the actual copies of each of the backups plus one copy of the initial full vmdk files for each UEP layer.

In the root folder for each Desktop there is a metadata xml file using the naming format

“ArchiveInfo_Paccc51f0000001a”. This file holds metadata used by the UMC to populate restore point information

for the backups.

If the file is not found, restore is still possible as long as the backup chain folder and archive files exist. But, as shown in

the restore wizard shown below, less information is available about the restore.

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/backups_personalization_layer_3.png

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/backup_retention.png

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/backups_archive_datastore.png

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/backups_archive_datastore_2.png



The normal wizard shows the version information as shown in the following graphic.

In fact the archive store files can be backed up to tape and restored by restoring first to the archive, then to the

Desktop, using the UDMC. It would be best to back up the entire Unidesk Backups Directory, but it is possible to have

just the user Desktop directory under User.

Defining Unidesk Desktop backups

In the Edit Desktop or the Add Template Version wizard, you can set backups to run one to four times a day, or

hourly. When scheduling backups in a Template, if you choose one of the “times a day” entries, you can also define at

what hour each of the backups starts. In this case, it makes sense to stagger the backups among different templates

to even out the backup load on the infrastructure.

Backup throttling

At the start of the backup time for a CP, all of the snapshots are created simultaneously. This creates restore points

at the time of the backup. Then the snapshot files are copied only 3 at a time to the Archive store so that there is

not too much IO generated for the backup process. The more times a day backups are performed the smaller the

snapshots will be and therefore the quicker the backup period. However, overall with more backups more data will be

backed up to the archive store and more total IO will be used. If the backups do not fit in the backup window when

backing up once a day, if the bottleneck is storage bandwidth, then running backups more frequently should help. If

there is still a bandwidth issue after running backups even every hour then more bandwidth would be required.

SAN-Based snapshots of the Secondary CachePoint's datastore

SAN-based snapshots: another backup option for User Layers

Another backup option for Unidesk User Layers is to use SAN-based snapshots to backup the datastore that the

CachePoint is configured to use. Then SAN replication can be used to replicate the datastore to another SAN device.

The drawback to this option is that many SAN snapshot cannot restore only a few files from the datastore so it

would be hard to recover a single Desktop but this varies depending on vendor. If restoring a single Desktop UEP just

the Desktop's USER folder would be restored.

It would also be possible to restore the entire CP folder structure however the layers and Desktops included must

match what the Unidesk Management Appliance has in its database.

Backups for Secondary CachePoint Appliances

How you decide to back up Desktops and CachePoint Appliances depends a great deal on your RTO and whether you can

provide a recovery Desktop immediately while you recover the user’s normal Desktops.

Recovery of a CachePoint Appliance

If a CachePoint is accidentally deleted or becomes corrupted it can be recreated by deploying a new CachePoint,

then restoring the Desktops associated with that CP to the new CP. A Desktop restore can be performed to the

original CP or an alternate CP in the infrastructure.

Recovery of a CachePoint Appliance and its Desktops using SAN snapshots


https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/backups_san_based_snapshots_replication.png


If your organization’s RTO is very short (for example, one hour), recovering an entire CachePoint Appliance and its

Desktops from a backup is impossible. In this case, the only viable option is to use SAN-based snapshot technology

for the CachePoint appliance and its CP and Boot Datastores. This approach allows you to recover back to the latest

snapshot very quickly. Just remember that the Management Appliance database must be in sync with the snapshot.

You should create snapshots on a frequent enough basis to ensure that you don't have to use a very old snapshot,

ensuring that Management Appliance database will still match the database on the CachePoint Appliance after it is

restored.

If you lose Desktops from the CachePoint Appliance after completing a snapshot restore, contact Unidesk Technical

Support to remove the orphaned database objects from the Unidesk database.

Recovery of a CachePoint Appliance and its Desktops using an image backup

To backup a Unidesk CP and Its Desktops you must be able to backup at the datastore level as opposed to the VM

level. This is because the shared layers for a CP are stored as Independent Non-persistent disks. This type of disk is

not attached to a VM in the same way as a normal disk. If your backup application can backup one datastore to

another without affecting the running VM’s it can be used for this purpose. However this type of backup will not be

any faster than the normal Unidesk backup process for UEP backups.

Recovery of Desktops

Customers that use Unidesk backups for Persistent Desktops also have the option of pre-deploying one host or a

CachePoint Appliance worth of “recovery” Desktops. The idea here is to create relatively generic Desktops that

include the most used applications. If a CachePoint Appliance fails and you cannot recover it immediately, users can

use “recovery” Desktop while waiting for you to recover their normal Desktop from a backup.

Recovery of a single Desktop is easy as long as the Desktop is still available in the UDMC. Just select the Desktops and

choose the restore function. You will be able to restore the Desktop from the archive. This works to take the

Desktop back to an earlier state recover a Desktop deleted using your VMware console by accident.

Types of backup devices

As stated previously, backups of Unidesk User Layers require a VMware Datastore as a backup target. You can use any

supported technology including

◾ ISCSI

◾ Fibre Channel

◾ NFS

There are many relatively inexpensive NAS solutions that work well as backup targets however the performance of

these devices will not be state of the art. Several Unidesk customers are using the NetGear ReadyNAS devices for this

purpose. You can also use backup products such as EMC’s Data Domain Deduplication backup devices or any storage

product that VMware supports, such as NetApp, EMC etc.

Just remember that you want the backup device to be separate from the primary storage you are using for the

Desktops so that they will never fail at the same time.



Jun 28 , 2017

For the purposes of this article, Disaster Recovery is defined as a catastrophic failure that affects multiple components in

the Unidesk environment.

The first thing to remember for your DR strategy is that in addition to defining a DR strategy for Unidesk components, you

also need to define a DR strategy for the vSphere server and your broker infrastructure.

Before developing your Unidesk DR strategy, it is important to define your DR RTO and RPO requirements.

The options for a Unidesk DR strategy, ranging from very simple to fairly complex, are based on different RTO and RPO

requirements, as well as the use of hot DR or cold DR strategies.

Cold Disaster Recovery

If your only option for DR is to back up to tape and store the backup off site, your options for DR with Unidesk are to

rebuild new desktops, or recreate persistent desktops. The options differ by whether you need to be able to restore each

user’s desktop or you plan to create new desktops instead.

Rebuild new desktops

To back up the Management Appliance and the Master CachePoint Appliance, you can use the Unidesk Backup Utility

to make backups of the appliances, and layers to a VMware datastore. Then you will need a way to backup the entire

datastore to tape. One option for this is if your infrastructure supports NDMP on NFS.

For DR, you:

1. Restore the Management Appliance and the Master CachePoint Appliance Datastores to the recovery site,

following Unidesk procedures to change IP addresses, if necessary, on the appliances (for more information, see

the recovery links at the end of this document).

2. Work with Unidesk Technical Support to remove all the existing desktop objects from the Unidesk database.

3. Deploy new desktops for users using the layers restored when you restored the Master CachePoint

Appliance.

The RTO for this option depends on the equipment you use and the availability of that equipment during your

recovery.

Another consideration is that the desktops you create during DR can be non-persistent, if you want to share a smaller

number of desktops amongst a set of concurrent users. Just be aware of the following benefits and limitations of

non-persistent desktops.

The following table shows the benefits and drawbacks for this DR method.

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/plan/rpo-and-rto-requirements.html


Benef its Drawbacks

Inexpensive – no

hot site required.

Faster than

recovering the

users' actual

desktops.

Less backup

media is required.

Only requires

periodic backup to

tape.

Significant rework required after declaration.

Recovery time includes build time for new desktops, which is approximately 5 minutes per desktop per

CachePoint Appliance. Fifty desktops per CachePoint Appliance could take approximately 8 hours.

CachePoint Appliances build desktops in parallel.

Overall, SAN I/O could limit recovery performance.

Users' customizations are not available.

Recreate persistent desktops (backup to datastore and then to tape)

For this option, you can use Unidesk to back up User Layers to a VMware datastore. You then back up the datastore

to tape, and back up the Management Appliance and Master CachePoint Appliance as described in the previous

section.

During DR, you:

1. Restore the Management Appliance and Master CachePoint Appliance Datastores.

2. Change the appliance IP addresses, if necessary.

If you must change the IP addresses of the virtual appliances, you will have to rebuild all the desktops

3. Restore the desktop archive datastore.

4. Create new CachePoint Appliances and restore the Desktops from the Archive Datastore.

The end result is restoring the users' exact desktops back to the recovery point; however, this type of recovery takes

more time than the new desktop approach in the previous section. RTO is likely to be measured in days, not hours.


Benef its Drawbacks

Inexpensive – no hot site

required.

Recover users' actual

desktops.

If IP addresses change, you must reconfigure the appliances and rebuild desktops after the restoring

the Unidesk appliances.

Recovery time takes days, not hours.

Substantial effort is required for recovery.

Hot Disaster Recovery


If you have a hot site for DR, there are several different strategies to consider.

Create a separate Unidesk system in the hot DR site

For this option, you create an entirely separate Unidesk system in the hot DR site. You do not recover the users'

customized desktop as part of the DR process. This option requires you to:

1. Install the Unidesk components.

2. Import a gold image to create the Operating System Layers.

3. Recreate all of the Application Layers.

4. Build recovery desktops from the layers.

5. You then provide access to the desktops from your DR connection broker infrastructure.

Currently, Unidesk has no export or import capabilities that allow you to migrate your primary Unidesk system to a DR

system. The following table shows the benefits and drawbacks for this option.

This DR option supports the use of non-persistent desktops, if you want to share a smaller number of desktops

amongst a set of concurrent users.

Benef its Drawbacks

No SAN replication is required.

Supports a separate VMware vSphere datacenter.

No significant work is required after declaration of a

disaster.

Desktops are instantly available (RTO = 0 hours).

Significant rework required to configure a separate Unidesk

system.

Users' customizations are not replicated to the DR site.

Spanned VMware vSphere Datacenter with hosts in Hot DR site

The current version of Unidesk does not support locating desktops in more than one VMware datacenter. Therefore,

if you want to manage desktops in both the primary site and the DR site, you must stretch the VMware datacenter

that includes your Unidesk desktops to both locations. Doing so is possible, if your network supports significant

bandwidth and has low latency.

For this option, you need a method for recovering the Management Appliance and Master CachePoint Appliance in

the DR site. Here you would use the Unidesk Backup Utility to create a backup on a local datastore, then replicate

that datastore to the DR site using a frequency based on your RPO.

For this option, you:

1. Install hosts in the DR datacenter within your production Unidesk VMware datacenter.

2. Manage all hosts using the same vCenter server. You can use vCenter Heartbeat to have a replicated, highly-


available vCenter configuration across datacenters, if desired.

3. You will then install CachePoint Appliances on the hosts in the DR Datacenter and deploy “Recovery”

desktops to those hosts. The desktops could be relatively generic with applications based on broker pools or

each user could have a DR desktop defined.

This solution would not provide the desktop personalization in DR. For example user installed applications would not

be available.

This DR option supports the use of non-persistent desktops; if you want to share a smaller number of desktops

amongst a set of concurrent users.

The following table shows the benefits and drawbacks for this option:

Benef its Drawbacks

No rework is required.

No significant work is required after declaration of a disaster.

Desktops are instantly available

(RTO = 0 hours).

Does not support a separate VMware vSphere Datacenter

Users' customizations are not replicated to the DR site.

Layer 2 replicated environment

In this option, SAN replication is used between the primary and DR sites. User desktops can be segregated by the

Host to replicated and non-replicated LUNs to support different service levels for different desktops.

The Management Appliance and Master CachePoint Appliance can share a LUN. They should be replicated together

to the secondary site. In this option, both sites share a switched layer 2 network, therefore IP addresses do not have

to change on the appliances or desktops when the machines are deployed in the secondary site.

The following table shows the benefits and drawbacks of this DR option.

Benef its Drawbacks

Actual user desktops are replicated and available in the

secondary site.


Little work after declaration of a disaster.

Quickly available (RTO < 1 hour).

Expensive with significant replication bandwidth required.

Requires SAN replications and a switched network.

Replication and DR is at a LUN level which typically means by



Layer 3 replicated environment

This option is similar to the Layer 2 replicated environment except that the networks are connected using routers

rather than switches. This configuration requires you to change all of the IP addresses in the secondary site before

the systems can function.

To make the IP address changes, you:

1. Deploy the Management Appliance and change its IP address.

2. Deploy all of the CachePoint Appliances and change their IP addresses.

3. Rebuild all of the desktops so that the Management Appliance address that they cache is changed to the

new Management Appliance address.

The amount of time required for this option is dependent on the number of CachePoint Appliances, the number of

desktops, and the complexity of the desktops.


Benef its Drawbacks

Actual user desktops are replicated and available in the secondary site.

No rework of layers is required.

Some work after declaration of a disaster is required to change the IP

addresses for the Unidesk appliances and to rebuild the desktops.

Fast availability (RTO < approximately 4 hours).

Expensive with significant replication bandwidth

required.

Requires SAN replication.

Replication and DR is at a LUN level which

typically means by CachePoint Appliance.

SAN Replicated Unidesk Archive to DR site

For this option, you use Unidesk to the local archive datastore then you replicate that Datastore to the DR site via

SAN replication. You can segregate by CachePoint Appliance which desktops are available to recover in DR by using a

different backup archive for replicated and non-replicated desktops. Then placing users on CachePoint Appliances

based on whether they need to participate in DR or not.

You will also need a way to recover the Management Appliance and Master CachePoint Appliance in the recovery site

as discussed earlier in this document. The RTO will depend on the speed of the infrastructure as every desktop must

be restored from the archive and REBICed.

The following table shows the benefits and drawbacks for this DR option.


Benef its Drawbacks

Actual user desktops are replicated

and available in the secondary site.


Little work after declaration of a

disaster.

Relatively expensive with significant bandwidth usage required.

Must perform the recovery after declaration of a disaster.

Recovery from backup takes time; the speed is dependent on the VMware infrastructure

especially bandwidth between the archive store and the primary store.


Deploy

Jun 28 , 2017

Deploy




Configure vCenter permissions


Upgrade Unidesk

Configure email notif ications

Set a Session Timeout for the Unidesk Management Console

Create a Secondary CachePoint Appliance

Connect to a Directory Service


Create an OS Layer



Create Desktops

Back up appliances

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/release-notes.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/unidesk-2-x-platform-support.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/storage-and-hardware-requirements.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/configure-vcenter-permissions.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/install-unidesk-software-and-tools.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/upgrade-unidesk.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/configure-email-notifications.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/set-a-session-timeout-for-the-unidesk-management-console.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/create-a-secondary-cachepoint-appliance.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/connect-to-a-directory-service.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/integrate-with-a-broker.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/create-an-os-layer.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/create-an-installation-machine.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/create-application-layers.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/create-desktops.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/back-up-appliances.html



Sep 21, 2017

Welcome to Unidesk 2.10.3!

The latest Unidesk 2.10 update is now available! For details, see What's new in this release and Issues fixed in this

release below. Issues fixed in previous 2.10.x releases at the end of this article.

What's new in this release

Improved stability for Windows 10 Desktops. This release provides more stability for your Windows 10 Desktops.

Links now go to the Citrix doc site. UI links now take you to the Unidesk Help topics on the Citrix site, docs.citrix.com.

The 2.10.2 and 2.10.3 documentation is now available at http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere.html.

Changes in how to logs to Support. When opening a Support Case, you can no longer send the log f iles as part of the

case. Log f iles must be exported and then attached to an email. For details about exporting logs and attaching them to

emails, click here.

Issues fixed in this release

Unattend and Optimizer files no longer flagged by some virus scanners

To remedy the issue where the Unattend and Optimizer exe files were being flagged by some virus scanners, both files are

now delivered as .hta file types only. Execute the files from an admin cmd prompt to use the tools.

Software Protection service and Windows Activation

The issue where the Software Protection service (SPPsvc) does not start and Windows does not activate due to empty or

bad WPA keys has been fixed, If you have desktops affected by this issue, you must restart the desktops after upgrading

to the 2.10.2 or later release. (UNI-58506)

VMware vSphere DataCenter objects are visible even when inside of a folder in the vCenter tree

When adding a new VMware vSphere Connector, your vSphere DataCenter object is visible even if it is inside a folder in the

vCenter tree. (UNI-57546 )

Supported platforms

For specifics about Unidesk-supported platforms, click here.

Upgrade paths

This upgrade supports moving from Unidesk 2.6.0, 2.7.0, 2.8.x, 2.9.x, or 2.10.x to the current release.

Known issues in Unidesk 2.10

Compatibility of Unidesk software with Windows 10 1703 Creators Edition is being tested, and what appear to be

compatibility issues have been found. As testing continues, we do not recommend using the WIndows 10 1703 Creators

Edition at this time.

If you want to upgrade to Windows 10, version 1607 (Anniversary Update edition), you must do this one-time step. After

upgrading to this Windows 10 version, you need to add a new Layer Version to each App Layer, and republish the

updated Image Template with the new OS and App Layer Versions. (UNI-54892).

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/troubleshoot/export-log-files.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/unidesk-2-x-platform-support.html

https://www.citrix.com/downloads/unidesk/


After a Windows 10 upgrade, for example after upgrading from 1511 to 1607, you must allow any scheduled system

tasks to complete. This allows existing desktops to gather the networking information required to ensure that the

change in the OS Layer Version does not loose the network. Simply let the virtual machines f inish their task or edit them

immediately to ensure that they are completed before you upgrade your OS Layer to Windows 10 1607 and assign it to

desktops.

The version shown for the Agent Installer and the setup_32/64.exe (included in the

OS Machine Tools installer) is 2.10.2, but the actual version is 2.10.3.

Infrastructure

VMware View Storage Accelerator not supported. Do not enable or turn on View Storage Accelerator. Unidesk

software does not work if this functionality is turned on.

VMware vSphere Profile-Driven Storage and Storage vMotion migration command not supported. Do not use the

VMware vSphere Profile-Driven Storage and Storage vMotion migration command, as these features are not supported.

VMware vSphere Client reports "invalid configuration" when creating multiple Desktops. This message can be ignored. For

details, click here. (UNI-6574)

VMware ESX Host. To avoid issues with a VMware ESX host that is in maintenance mode, postpone Unidesk Management

Console activities until the ESX host is out of inventory. (UNI-11647)

Concurrent Desktop backups from multiple CachePoint Appliances to the same datastore can result in an unresponsive

host ESX server. If this occurs, enter a restart command on the affected ESX host server. For details, click here. (UNI-7335)

VMware View

View Persona Profile Management 6.1 and later. View Persona Profile Management 6.1 and later is not supported.

Persona Manager 6.1 and later fails to create profiles for new users. Profiles created on earlier releases of Persona

Manager continue to work under View Persona 6.1 and 6.2.

After a Desktop is restored, it must be re-added to the VMware View pool. With VMware View integration, when you

restore a Desktop to a different CachePoint Appliance, you must manually remove the Desktop from the VMware View

pool and re-add it. For details, click here. (UNI-8708)

Citrix XenDesktop

Creating Desktops in Citrix XenDesktop catalogs. When you create a Desktop and select XenDesktop broker

integration, and the assigned user has not yet been imported into the database, the Desktop will not appear in the

XenDesktop catalog. To f ix this, delete the Desktop and then re-create it. To avoid the issue in the future, create a

Unidesk Group and add the users to it before creating Desktops. (UNI-15070)

Configuring the Citrix Xen Delivery Groups Access Policy. Once you integrate with XenDesktop and create Unidesk

Collections and Desktops, you will receive an error message if you attempt to edit the Access Policy directly in Citrix

Studio. To make any changes to Group Access Policy, use the Unidesk Management Console to edit the Collection

Entitlements. (UNI-31613)

Microsoft Windows 10

Are Windows updates still running on your desktops? If they are, you can disable Windows Updates via a local GPO.

The process of creating a Desktop hangs in Windows 10. If the process of creating a Desktop in Windows 10 becomes

https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX227963



http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/users-and-groups/manage-users-and-groups.html



unresponsive, see New SCSI controller causes Windows to prompt for a reboot after installing the device.

After a Windows 10 may result in a new Recovery Volume partition. During a major upgrade, for example when upgrading

from 1511 to 1607, Windows 10 sometimes creates a Recovery Volume as a new partition on the same disk as the OS

Layer Version. This volume should always be removed before you f inalize the OS Layer Version. Otherwise, the recovery

volume can cause desktops to fail to boot correctly. For the steps to safely remove a recovery volume, click here.

Desktops

Desktop Sleep state is not supported. Desktops in sleep state become unresponsive in vCenter and Unidesk

Management Console. For details, click here. (UNI-7014)

Desktop blue screen errors can be caused by an enabled Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). Normally, the Unidesk

Optimization script, which is run as part of Gold Image prep, disables VSS. However, If you experience this issue, you

should check VSS, and if it is enabled, manually disable it. To disable VSS, click Start and type services.msc to run

Microsoft Services. In the Services window, scroll to the Volume Shadow Copy service. If it is enabled, right-click the

service and choose Disable.

Issues fixed in previous 2.10 releases

Issues fixed in 2.10.0

Clearing Windows Search Index files when finalizing App and OS Layers

Unidesk now clears Windows Search Index files when you finalize an App or OS layer. If you are having issues with Windows

Search, you can fix the issue by upgrading to 2.10 and creating a new Version of your Layer. (UNI-49902)


OfficeActivate script modified

The OfficeActivate.cmd script has been modified to reorder how the script executes to resolve an issue. (UNI-52166)

Network information

Handling of the NIC merge during boot image creation is improved. (UNI-53643, UNI-51569)

Start Menu for Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 2012R2

Issues with the Start Menu when upgrading Windows 10 have been fixed. (UNI-53736)


Unattend and Optimizer files no longer flagged by some virus scanners

To remedy the issue where the Unattend and Optimizer exe files were being flagged by some virus scanners, both files are

now delivered as .hta file types only. Execute the files from an admin cmd prompt to use the tools.

Software Protection service and Windows Activation

The issue where the Software Protection service (SPPsvc) does not start and Windows does not activate due to empty or

bad WPA keys has been fixed, If you have desktops affected by this issue, you must restart the desktops after upgrading

to the 2.10.2 or later release. (UNI-58506)



https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktops-sleep-state-become-unresponsive-vcenter-and-unidesk-management-console-uni-7014



May 03, 2018

Infrastructure software

Supported virtual infrastructure software:

VMware (Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, Desktop)

vSphere, vCenter Server 6.0, 6.0 U1, 5.5, 5.5 U1, 5.5 U2, 5.1, 5.1 U2, 5.0, 5.0 U1, and 5.0 U3. (Support for v 6.0 added in Unidesk

2.8.3.)

If using high-end VAAI-enabled storage, ESXi 6.0, 5.5 U1, 5.5 U2, 5.1 U2, or 5.0 is required to ensure optimal Desktop build

performance. (Support for v 6.0 added in Unidesk 2.8.3.)

VMware Virtual SAN (vSAN)

vSAN 5.5 is supported

vSAN 6 and later is not supported

If using vSAN with vSphere 5.5, backups must be stored on a non-vSAN storage location. Please see the following topics

for requirements and recommendations: Plan Storage Size, and vSan Desktop Calculator.

Untested VMware features:Testing of functionality new in VMware 6, such as vSAN 6 and NVIDIA Grid vGPU has not yet been completed. If you are

interested in using vGPU, please be aware that VMware does not support snapshots, and therefore you cannot use vGPU in

combination with Unidesk’s Desktop Backup functionality.

Unsupported VMware features:VMware Storage vMotion migrate command, vSphere Storage - Profile-Driven Storage, and Distributed Power

Management.

Virtualization connection broker

The following brokers are directly integrated with Unidesk. Other connection brokers are supported, but without direct

integration.

VMware Horizon View

Horizon View 7.0, 6.0-6.2, 5.0-5.3 (If running View 5.1 with Windows XP, please see Windows XP in the Known Issues

section of the Release Notes.)

Horizon View Persona Profile Management 5.x, 6.0. Person Profile Management 6.1 and later is unsupported.

Unsupported feature: Storage Accelerator (Unidesk will not work if Horizon View Storage Accelerator is turned on.)

Citrix XenDesktop

XenDesktop 5.6, 5.5 (Standard, Advanced, Enterprise, Platinum)

XenDesktop 7.6, 7.5, 7.1, 7.0 (VDI, App, Enterprise, Platinum)

Note: You cannot use XenDesktop 7.0 with Windows 8.1 Desktops. Instead, use one of the other supported

XenDesktop versions.

Citrix User Profile Management (UPM)

Pano Logic


Pano System 6.0, 5.0

Internet browser

The Unidesk Management Console (UMC) supports any standards-based browser that supports Silverlight 4.0.

Desktop operating system


Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607 64-bit (Professional, Enterprise, Education) – Only supported on ESXi version 6.0 and

above.

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Update, 32-bit, 64-bit (Professional, Enterprise)





Note: Single-byte language packs are supported for all platforms, except for Windows XP. The language pack is supported

in the Gold image only.

Session Host Operating System

Windows Server 2012 R2 64-bit (Datacenter Edition). See Horizon View RDSH and XenApp integration with Unidesk for

vSphere for details.

Directory service

Unidesk supports these directory services:

Novell eDirectory

Microsoft Active Directory



Jun 28 , 2017

Use the following guidelines to calculate the data storage and hardware required for your implementation of Unidesk.

Centralized or local storage?

You can use local or centralized storage (or a mixture of both).

For the Management Appliance and the Master CachePoint Appliance, the recommended configuration is centralized

storage with VMware High Availability (HA) services enabled. This configuration provides the fastest recovery time for a

Unidesk environment if a storage failure should occur.

Management Appliance Storage and Hardware Requirements

The Management Appliance maintains a local database and the Unidesk Management Console. You can deploy the

Management Appliance on any host in your infrastructure. The only requirement is that it be able to communicate, using

TCP/IP, with the CachePoint Appliances and the vCenter server.

When you run the Unidesk installer, select datastores that have sufficient space to accommodate the virtual appliance files

for the Management Appliance, the CachePoint Appliances, the shared layer files, and the desktop files.

CachePoint Storage and Hardware Requirements

CachePoint Appliances use the datastore to store all the resources required by your Unidesk installation. The Master

CachePoint Appliance stores copies of all of the layers in use by all of your secondary CachePoint Appliances. As a result, it

may require more storage space than your secondary CachePoint appliances.

Storage tiers

Unidesk uses a three-tiered storage system.

CachePoint and Layers Tier

The CachePoint and Layers T ier contains the component layers that Unidesk uses to build your desktops. This tier contains

the following:

The CachePoint Appliance - 17 GB for both the Master CachePoint and each secondary CachePoint.

OS Layers - 20 GB per layer

Application Layers - 10 GB per layer

User Layer - 10 GB per layer

Desktop tier

The Desktop Tier contains the component boot images that Unidesk uses to build your desktops. This tier contains the

following:

VMDK files for shared layers that desktops are using.

VMDK files for each desktop's User Layer.


Standard VMware f iles such as the nvram file and the vmx f ile.

Desktop page (virtual swap) f iles (*.vswp f ile).

NoteThe total storage for a Destkop T ier is 3 GB per desktop.

Archive tier

The Archive Tier contains archive backups of your desktops. This tier exists only if you have enabled archiving. A typical

Archive Tier requires roughly 10 GB per desktop.


Configure vCenter permissions

Jun 28 , 2017

Unidesk 2.x software uses the VMware vCenter API to operate and maintain Unidesk Desktops, and VMware VMDKs and

VMware vSphere file APIs to manage layers. It uses:

VMware VMDKs - to hold OS, application, and personalization layers.

VMware vSphere f ile APIs - to copy and delete Unidesk layers on those VMDKs.

Though the above operations do not require VMware vCenter level privileges, monitoring the results of the tasks does.

Unidesk software needs VMware vCenter level privileges to request information about the execution status of the above

tasks, and without those privileges would consider the Unidesk tasks failed.

Set up the vCenter environment

Complete the following tasks to prepare your vCenter environment for Unidesk. The following procedures are based on the

assumption that you are using the vSphere Client.

Set up a vCenter role

You can use your existing Administrator role or you might want to create a vCenter role that is dedicated to Unidesk. If you

decide to create a new role, use the following procedures to create a vCenter role for Unidesk administrators.

Task Procedure

Add a vCenter role

1. In the vSphere Client, navigate to Home > Administration > Roles.

2. Click Add Role.

3. Enter a name (for example, UDAdmin).

4. Set the privileges as shown in the following table.

Set privileges for the vCenter role

Set the following privileges for the account:

Navigate to... And Select...

All Privileges > Datastore

Allocate space

Browse datastore

Low level file operations

All Privileges > FolderCreate folder

Delete folder

All Privileges > Global Cancel task


All Privileges > Network Assign network

All Privileges > Resource Assign virtual machine to resource pool

All Privileges > vAppImport

vApp application configuration

All Privileges > Virtual machine > Configuration

Add existing disk

Add new disk

Add or remove device

Advanced

Change CPU count

Change resource

Configure managedBy

Disk change tracking

Memory

Modify device settings

Remove disk

Rename

Reset guest information

Settings

Swapfile placement

Upgrade virtual hardware

All Privileges > Virtual machine > Interaction

Answer question

Configure CD media

Console interaction

Device connection

Power off

Power on

Reset

Suspend

All Privileges > Virtual machine > Inventory

Create from existing

Create new

Register

Remove

Unregister

All Privileges > Virtual machine > Provisioning

Clone virtual machine

Customize

Deploy template

Mark as template

All Privileges > Virtual machine >StateCreate snapshot

Remove Snapshot



Navigate to... And Select...Assign permissions to the vCenter Administrator account

Set the following vCenter permissions:

Task Procedure

Open the Assign Permissions

window

1. In the vSphere Client, navigate to Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters.

2. Select the Permissions tab.

3. In the displayed window, right click in any location and select Add Permission from the

displayed menu.

Associate the Unidesk role with the

administrator account

1. Add the administrator account that you plan to use and assign the Unidesk role to it.

2. Allow the permissions to propagate to the entire datacenter.

Note : If you want to restrict this user from accessing specific folders in the datacenter, grant

the user more restrictive permissions for those folders.



Oct 03, 2017

Before you start

Before beginning the installation process, be sure to meet the following requirements and prerequisites.

Installer software requirements

The Unidesk installer must be run on a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 system.

The .NET Framework 3.5.1 Features must be selected.

vCenter Permission Requirements

Unidesk 2.x software uses the VMware vCenter API to operate and maintain Unidesk Desktops, and VMware VMDKs and

VMware vSphere file APIs to manage layers. It uses:

VMware VMDKs - to hold OS, application, and personalization layers.

VMware vSphere f ile APIs - to copy and delete Unidesk layers on those VMDKs.

Though the above operations do not require VMware vCenter level privileges, monitoring the results of the tasks does.

Unidesk software needs VMware vCenter level privileges to request information about the execution status of the above

tasks, and without those privileges would consider the Unidesk tasks failed.

Set up a vCenter role

You can use your existing Administrator role or you might want to create a vCenter role that is dedicated to Unidesk. If you

decide to create a new role, use the following procedures to create a vCenter role for Unidesk administrators.

Task Procedure

Add a vCenter role

1. In the vSphere Client, navigate to Home > Administration > Roles.

2. Click Add Role.

3. Enter a name (for example, UDAdmin).

4. Set the privileges as shown in the following table.

Set privileges for the vCenter role

Set the following privileges for the account:


All Privileges > Datastore

Allocate space

Browse datastore

Low level f ile operations

All Privileges > FolderCreate folder

Delete folder


All Privileges > Global Cancel task

All Privileges > Network Assign network

All Privileges > Resource Assign virtual machine to resource pool

All Privileges > vAppImport

vApp application configuration

All Privileges > Virtual machine > Configuration

Add existing disk

Add new disk

Add or remove device

Advanced

Change CPU count

Change resource

Configure managedBy

Disk change tracking

Memory

Modify device settings

Remove disk

Rename

Reset guest information

Settings

Swapfile placement

Upgrade virtual hardware

All Privileges > Virtual machine > Interaction

Answer question

Configure CD media

Console interaction

Device connection

Power off

Power on

Reset

Suspend

All Privileges > Virtual machine > Inventory

Create from existing

Create new

Register

Remove

Unregister

Clone virtual machine


All Privileges > Virtual machine > ProvisioningCustomize

Deploy template

Mark as template

All Privileges > Virtual machine >StateCreate snapshot

Remove Snapshot

Add vCenter permissions

Set the vCenter permissions:

Task Procedure

Open the Assign Permissionswindow

1. In the vSphere Client, navigate to Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters.

2. Select the Permissions tab.

3. In the displayed window, right click in any location and select Add Permission from

the displayed menu.

Associate the Unidesk role withthe administrator account

1. Add the administrator account that you plan to use and assign the Unidesk role to

it.

2. Allow the permissions to propagate to the entire datacenter.

Note: If you want to restrict this use from accessing specific folders in the

datacenter, grant the user more restrictive permissions for those folders.

Download the Unidesk installer

Download the Unidesk installer and the package from the Unidesk Support Download Center.

Run the Installer

To start the Unidesk installation:

1. Double-click the installer file (unideskinstaller.exe). When the installer opens., select Use an existing package. The

installer checks the Unidesk support site to confirm that it has the current version.

If a newer Unidesk version exists, the installer offers to download it.

If the installer has the current version or cannot access the internet, it proceeds with the installation.

2. Review the resources described in the introduction and click Next . The End User License agreement appears.

3. Read the End User License agreement and click I accept . The End User License agreement closes and the Download and

Install screen appears.

4. Specify whether you want to download the installer package and do an automated installation, or simply download the

package for later use. Click Next . The Download screen appears.

5. Specify a download location for the new installation package, or for an existing installation package if you are installing

a previously downloaded package, and click Next . The Installation Type screen opens.

6. Specify the type of installation you want to perform and click Next .

https://www.unidesk.com/support/download-center


Simple InstallationGood for proofs of concept and evaluations

Allows single datastore

Default Eastern time zone and time server settings

Advanced InstallationGood for production deployment

Allows multiple datastores

Customizable time zone and time server settings

Simple Installation

Use these instructions to complete a simple installation:

1. Enter your Unidesk web site credentials and click Next. The vCenter Credentials screen appears.

2. Make sure the vCenter Administrator account has the permissions described in Configure vCenter permissions.

3. On the vCenter Credential screen, enter the following information and click Next.

Name The name of the account that Unidesk can use to connect to vCenter.

Password The password for the vCenter account.

vCenter DNS/IP The address of your vCenter server.

4. On the Hosts and Storage screen, enter the following information and click Next.

Datacenter

The datacenter for the Unidesk install.

Note: If you subsequently rename the Datacenter, you will need to update Unidesk in the following

manner: select System > Manage Appliances, select your Management Appliance, click EditProperties, select the new Datacenter name, and then reboot your CachePoints.

Virtual

Machine

folder

The location where the installer deploys virtual machines created for use with Unidesk.

Host The host for the Unidesk virtual machines.

Storage The datastore where you want to place the Unidesk storage tiers.

5. On the Management Appliance Settings screen, enter the following and click Next.

The Administrator name and password are: administrator and Unidesk1.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to change the administrator password for the Unidesk Management Console, as described in the

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/install_or_upgrade_unidesk/deploy_unidesk_install#simple_install

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/install_or_upgrade_unidesk/deploy_unidesk_install#advanced_install

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.9.4_for_vSphere/deploy/get_started_deploying_unidesk/deploy_unidesk_config_env


last step below.


Name

A unique name for the Management Appliance.

Network The vSphere virtual network to use for the appliances.

IP Address Specify networking information for the Management Appliance.

6. On the CachePoint Appliance Settings screen, enter the following information and click Next.

CachePoint Appliance

Template Name

Enter a name for the CachePoint Appliance template. The template contains configuration

settings used to configure secondary CachePoint Appliances.

Master CachePoint

Appliance NameEnter a unique name for the Master CachePoint Appliance.

IP Address Specify an address for the Master CachePoint Appliance.

7. Review the installation settings and click Start Installation. The installation begins.

8. Once installation is complete, log into the Unidesk Management Console and change the Administrator password.

9. Then, change the root password on both the new Management Appliance and Master CachePoint Appliance. If you are

comfortable using Linux, use either the vSphere console or SSH to log into the appliance as root (password v9Yx*6uj),and enter Linux commands to change the root password.

If you are not familiar with the Linux commands for changing the root password, please contact the Unidesk Support

team, and they will either walk you through the steps or change it for you.

Advanced Installation

Use these instructions to complete the advanced installation:

1. Enter your Unidesk web site credentials and click Next. The vCenter Credentials screen appears.

2. Make sure the vCenter Administrator account has the permissions described in Configure vCenter permissions.

3. On the vCenter Credentials screen, enter the following information and click Next.

Account The name of the account that Unidesk can use to connect to vCenter.

Password The password for the vCenter account.

vCenter DNS/IP The address of your vCenter server.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_users/admin_umc_admin_password



4. On the vCenter Configuration screen, enter the following information and click Next.

Datacenter The datacenter for the Unidesk install.

Virtual Machine folder The location where the installer deploys virtual machines created for use with Unidesk.


Template storage folder

The storage location for any templates used by the CachePoint Appliances.

5. On the Management Appliance Settings screen, enter the following and click Next.

Virtual Machine Name A name for the Management Appliance.

Host The host for the Management Appliance.

Storage The datastore used by the Management Appliance.

Administrator User Name A user name for the Unidesk Administrator account.

Password A password for the Administrator account.

Confirm Password The retyped password for the Administrator account

6. On the Management Appliance Network Settings screen, enter the following and click Next.


IP Address Specify networking information for the Management Appliance.

Time Zone Select a time zone for the Management Appliance.

NTP Servers Accept the default time servers or specify alternate time servers.

7. On the Master CachePoint Appliance Settings screen, enter the following information and click Next.


Template Name

Enter a name for the CachePoint Appliance template. The template contains configuration

settings used to configure secondary CachePoint Appliances.

Virtual Machine Name Enter a unique name for the Master CachePoint Appliance.


Host Specify a host for the Master CachePoint Appliance.

8. On the Master CachePoint Appliance Storage Settings screen, enter the following information and click Next.

Boot Images Select a storage location for boot images.

CachePoint and Layers Select a storage location for the CachePoint Appliances and all layers.

Archive If you plan to use Unidesk backups, select a location for the archive images.

9. On the Master CachePoint Appliance Network Settings screen, enter the following information and click Next.


IP Address Specify networking information for the Master CachePoint Appliance.

10. Review the installation settings and click Start Installation. The installation begins.

11. Once installation is complete, log into the Unidesk Management Console and change the Administrator password.

12. Then, change the root password on both the new Management Appliance and Master CachePoint Appliance. If you are

comfortable using Linux, use either the vSphere console or SSH to log into the appliance as root (password v9Yx*6uj),and enter Linux commands to change the root password.

If you are not familiar with the Linux commands for changing the root password, please contact the Unidesk Support

team, and they will either walk you through the steps or change it for you.

Unidesk tools installed

Once the installation completes, you will have a folder called UnideskInstall<2.x.x>. This folder contains tools for both

deploying Unidesk desktops and integrating them with connection brokers. This includes:

Unidesk_Gold_Image_Tools_2.X.X

Use the appropriate tool to create an answer file for unattended builds of your

gold image on Unidesk desktops:

Windows 7, and Windows 8.1 Update 1 - unattend.exe f ile

Windows Server 2012 R2 - unattend.exe f ile

Windows Server 2008 R2 - unattend.exe f ile

Windows XP - sysprep.inf f ile

OptimizeVx.x Use this tool to optimize a gold image for the Unidesk environment.

Unidesk software installer for gold

Use the appropriate setup file to install the latest Unidesk software onto your gold

image.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_users/admin_umc_admin_password


image setup_x86.exe

setup_x64.exe

Unidesk_Broker_Integration_Tools

Use these tools to integrate your Unidesk environment with a connection broker.

via_setup.exe - installs a connection broker agent for integrating Unidesk with

VMware View or Citrix XenDesktop.


Upgrade Unidesk

Sep 27, 2017

This release contains updates for the following components:

The Management Appliance

The CachePoint® Appliances

The Unidesk® Tools on the desktops

The Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent

Component upgrades

Upgrades are supported from Unidesk version 2.6 and higher to the current 2.x release. If you are upgrading from an earlier

release, you must upgrade to Unidesk 2.6.0 first.

To determine which Unidesk version is currently installed, select System > Manage Appliances in the Unidesk Management

Console and open the Information Views for each component.

Before you start

Ensure that your firewall rules meet our requirements as described in Open ports in your firewall for Unidesk.

Make sure to upgrade the appliances in this order, as explained in the steps below:

1. Management Appliance (MA) f irst – let it complete

2. Master CachePoint Appliance (MCP) – let it complete

3. Secondary CachePoint Appliances (SCPs)

Upgrade Steps

It 's important to upgrade the Unidesk environment in the following order:

Back up the Unidesk appliances

Download the Unidesk upgrade package

Upgrade the Connection broker agent

Upgrade the Management Appliance

Upgrade the CachePoint Template

Upgrade the Master CachePoint and Secondary CachePoint Appliances

NOTES:

Some new Unidesk features will not be available until the CachePoint Appliances have been upgraded.

You do not need to update the Unidesk Tools. The upgrade software does this for you.

STEP 1: Back up the Unidesk appliances

1. In VMware vSphere, make a snapshot of the Unidesk Management Appliance and your Master CachePoint Appliance.

You can delete these snapshots once you have upgraded the appliances.

2. Also, make sure the desktop backups are up-to-date.


Note: Once the upgrade process is complete, you must delete the snapshots of the Management Appliance and the

Master CachePoint Appliance.

STEP 2: Download the upgrade packages

1. Download the Unidesk Upgrade package, either from the Citrix Download center.

2. Extract the Zip f ile.

3. Check the Unidesk Management Console Taskbar for any pending desktop configuration changes, and if there are any

waiting to be processed as part of a Maintenance Schedule, override the schedule, as follows:

1. Select the affected desktops and choose Edit Desktops.

2. In the Maintenance Schedule tab, select As soon as possible.

3. Complete the wizard.

4. Mount both Unidesk ISO files, one for the Management Appliance and one for the CachePoint Appliance ISO images.

Note: The CachePoint Appliance ISO must be mounted on the Management Appliance.

1. Copy the upgrade images (unidesk_ma_upgrade_2.x.x.iso and unidesk_ca_upgrade_2.x.x.iso) from the extracted

upgrade package to a datastore accessible by the Management Appliance.

2. Connect the CD/DVD devices to both ISO upgrade images (unidesk_ma_upgrade_2.x.x.iso and

unidesk_ca_upgrade_2.x.x.iso) by editing the Management Appliance settings in vCenter. Make sure the CD drive's

Connected checkbox is selected.

STEP 3: Upgrade the connection broker agent

To upgrade the Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent:

1. When you upgrade the Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent, any configuration changes you've made will

be overwritten. Therefore, if you have made changes to your configuration f ile, you need to save a copy of the

univiavcs.exe.config f ile to preserve the information. Once the upgrade is done, you will need to edit the new copy of the

configuration f ile, using the saved copy as a reference, to restore the settings.

2. Log into either the View Connection Server or XenDesktop Controller using an account with administrator privileges.

3. Copy the via_setup.exe f ile from the following folder to a convenient location on the server:

UnideskInstall.x.x.x.xxx\Unidesk_Broker_Integration_Tools

4. Double click the via_setup.exe f ile, and when prompted, enter the location where you want to install the Virtual Desktop

Connection Broker Agent. The default is C:\Program Files\Unidesk\UniVIA.

5. Accept the default communication port number (Port 390) for the Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent. You can

change the port later, if needed. For details, see the online help instructions for Changing settings for the Unidesk Virtual

Desktop Connection Broker Agent.

6. Click Finish to exit the wizard.

STEP 4: Upgrade the Management Appliance

It is important to upgrade the Management Appliance first, and then the Master CachePoint Appliance. After each of

these is upgraded, you can upgrade the Secondary CachePoint Appliances.

To upgrade the Management Appliance:

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, select System > Upgrade. You might have to wait a few minutes for the list of

upgrades to display.

https://www.citrix.com/downloads/unidesk/product-software/unidesk-2.html


2. In the next Upgrade tab, leave the CachePoint Appliances deselected. We recommend upgrading the CachePoint

Appliance template and the CachePoint Appliances after the MA has been upgraded. For details on upgrading

CachePoint appliances, see the next section.

3. In the Confirm and Complete tab, click Upgrade. The upgrade process closes the current Unidesk Management Console

session and starts upgrading the Management Appliance. During the upgrade, the process displays a status page.

IMPORTANT! Do not refresh the Web browser before the upgrade completes, or the status page closes and you

cannot navigate back to it.

4. After the Management Appliance upgrade completes:

1. Clear the web browser's cache history.

2. Refresh.

3. Log in to the Unidesk Management Console again.

STEP 5: Upgrade the CachePoint Template

Assuming you have upgraded the Management Appliance, you need to upgrade the CachePoint Appliance Template.

1. In VMware vCenter Inventory > VMs and Templates, delete the old CachePoint Appliance Template (the one currently

selected in the System Settings) from the previous version of Unidesk.

2. In the downloaded package, unzip cp-template-2.x.x.zip.

3. Deploy CachePoint Appliance OVF template. Log in to the VMware vSphere client and use the File > Deploy OVF

Template option to import the CachePoint Appliance template (ca-template.2.x.x.ovf). Accept all of the default settings

in the wizard.

4. Convert the newly deployed CachePoint Appliance template to a VMware template. In vCenter, right-click the newly

deployed CachePoint and select Template > Convert to Template.

5. In the Unidesk Management Console select System > Settings and Configuration, and then edit the CachePoint

Settings. Select the template that you just imported and click Save. This ensures that new CachePoint Appliances use

the new template.

STEP 6: Upgrade the Master CachePoint and Secondary CachePoint Appliances

This assumes you have upgraded the Management Appliance and the CachePoint Appliance Template. To upgrade the

CachePoint Appliances, beginning with the Master CachePoint Appliance:

1. Reboot each of your CachePoint Appliances, starting with the Master CachePoint Appliance.

2. In the Unidesk Management Console, select System > Upgrade. You might have to wait a few minutes for the list of

upgrades to display.

3. In the next Upgrade tab, select the CachePoint Appliance you want to upgrade, beginning with the Master CachePoint

Appliance (MCP). (Once the MCP is upgraded, choose each of the remaining CachePoint Appliances until all are up-to-

date.)

4. In the Confirm and Complete tab, you can enter a comment that will appear in the Audit log, and click Upgrade. The

upgrade process starts and displays a status page.


5. Upgrade any other CachePoint Appliances you have, and unmount the CD drive by editing the settings for the MA. Click

CD Drive 1, 2 Client Device, and click Ok.

Delete the snapshots of the Management Appliance and Master CachePointAppliance

IMPORTANT! You must delete the snapshots of the Management Appliance and Master CachePoint Appliance. Keeping

these snapshots around could cause issues during certain layering procedures.

1. In VMware vSphere, use the Snapshot Manager to delete the snapshots of the Management Appliance and the Master



Configure email notifications

Jun 28 , 2017

You can configure email notifications to inform you in case there are issues with services running on your CachePoint

Appliances. Events that can trigger an email include:

Tests of the email notif ication connection.

An internal failure on CachePoint Appliances that requires an automatic restart.

Log f iles are exported.

Connection issues between desktops and CachePoint Appliances occur.

Backups of User Layers are delayed.

Types of email notifications

Emailnotif ication

Description

CachePointservicefailures

The Management Appliance sends an email message to the designated addresses when an internal

service failure occurs and the affected CachePoint Appliance tries to restart the service or the


Exportinglog f iles

When you export logs for desktops or the virtual appliances, the software sends the specified recipients

an email notification that includes a link to the log files. For details, click here.

Connectionissues

If a desktop loses its connection to its assigned CachePoint Appliance, the desktop contacts the

Management Appliance to either obtain a new IP address for the CachePoint Appliance or to confirm

that it has the correct IP address.

If the desktop has the correct address but cannot communicate with its CachePoint Appliance, the

Management Appliance sends an email notification the first time it tries to communicate with the


When you receive this message, verify that the CachePoint Appliance is operational and available on the

network.

Delayedbackups

The desktop contacts the Management Appliance to either obtain a new IP address for the CachePoint

Appliance or to confirm that it has the correct IP address. If the desktop has the correct address but

cannot communicate with its CachePoint Appliance, the Management Appliance sends an email

notification the first time it tries to communicate with the CachePoint Appliance

Failedbackups

If the backup of one or more desktops fails, this email notification gives you details about why each

desktop failed so you can fix the issue before the next scheduled backup.

To set up email notifications:

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/troubleshoot/admin_log_export


1. Select System > Settings and Configuration.

2. Navigate to Notifications Settings and click Edit.

3. In the Mail Server box, enter the name of your email server or the name of the SMTP relay server.

4. In the Mail Server port, enter the number of the port that the email server uses for communication.

5. In the User Name box, enter the user name for the email account you want to use for sending notifications. For

example, [email protected].

6. In the Password box, enter the password for the email account.

7. In the From box, enter an email address to identify the source of the email message. For example, if you enter

[email protected], the email message displays the following in the From box of the received notification:

Unidesk Management Appliance [[email protected]]

8. In the Recipient List box, enter the email addresses that should receive notifications. Use a comma or semicolon to

separate the email addresses.

9. Click Test Email Configuration to verify that the settings for the email server and account work correctly. If the test

succeeds, the software displays a success message and sends the recipients a confirmation email.

10. Enter a comment, if necessary, and click Save to save the email settings. If you enter comments, they appear in the

Information view Audit History.


Set a Session Timeout for the Unidesk ManagementConsole

Jun 28 , 2017

You can set a timeout for the Unidesk Management Console, so that if there is no user-initiated activity for a specified

length of time, the console ends the session.

Session activity includes user interaction with the console, for example, starting tasks and editing settings. Tasks in progress

will not keep a session from timing out, nor will simply selecting an object or clicking inside the console window.

If you have just installed Unidesk software, the Session Timeout is set to 15 minutes by default. If you have upgraded from

an earlier version of Unidesk, the Session Timeout will be set to zero (0) by default, effectively leaving this function turned

off.

To set a session timeout


2. Scroll to Security Settings.

3. Select Session Timeout, and click the Edit button.

4. Enter the number of minutes after which the session will timeout. Valid values include numbers from 0 - 10000. (A value

of 0 turns off this feature.)

5. Click Save.



Jun 28 , 2017

You can (and should) create one or more CachePoint Appliances in the Unidesk environment to store Desktop User data.

You can specify either a host or cluster for the CachePoint Appliance

Before you start

You must provision a Master CachePoint Appliance. (This is done during the Unidesk installation.)

About CachePoint properties

Prevent new desktops from being added to a CachePoint

You can stop a CachePoint Appliance from being used for Desktops simply by editing the CachePoint Properties and

deselecting this check box on the first wizard tab: Allow new desktops to be deployed to this CachePoint. This feature

is good for:

Preventing desktops from being added to the Master CachePoint Appliance, a best practice.

Preparing to remove a Secondary CachePoint from the network.

Reserving space on a Secondary CachePoint for a future project.

Use WAN acceleration when copying Layers to this CachePoint

You can turn on the CachePoint's WAN acceleration feature to speed up layer creation on a Secondary CachePoint that

your Management Appliance accesses over a wide are network (WAN).

When WAN acceleration is turned on, the Management Appliance first pushes a full, baseline copy of the layer to the

remote CachePoint, but from then on, sends only incremental layer changes, compressed for transmission. Once the

baseline layer copy is sent to the remote CachePoint (which can take a long time), you will see significant time savings when

updated layers are sent.

Note: The Management Appliance continues to do regular layer copies to CachePoints on the same LAN.

Although WAN acceleration significantly speeds up remote copies, it also requires the Management Appliance to build and

update a usage map whenever you import an operating system or application into a layer and finalize the layer. Therefore, itis strongly recommended that you only enable WAN acceleration on a CachePoint, if it is strictly required. Once you enable

WAN acceleration on one CachePoint, the Unidesk Management Appliance will build and update a usage map any time you

finalize any layer after creating or updating it.

Specify storage tiers used for this CachePoint

You can choose where to store the Boot images for the following:

Desktops managed by a CachePoint

The main CachePoint

The Layers used by the CachePoint's Desktops

The CachePoint Archive



1. In the Unidesk Management Console, select System > Manage Appliances.

2. In the Action bar, select Create CachePoint. This opens the Create CachePoint Wizard.

3. In the Configuration tab:

1. Specify the name of the CachePoint Appliance.

2. If you want to prevent new Desktops from being deployed to this CachePoint, select this check box.

3. If the Management Appliance communicates with this CachePoint via a WAN, we recommend that you select the

Use WAN acceleration check box. This speeds up the sending of Layer versions to the Secondary CachePoint over a

WAN.

Note: Only enable WAN acceleration on a CachePoint if it is required, because the extra processing will slow creation

and updates for all Layers. For details, see WAN acceleration above.

4. In the Hosts tab, specify the host of the CachePoint Appliance in the virtual infrastructure.

1. Select the host in the virtual infrastructure where the provisioning process will create the CachePoint Appliance.

2. Select the Desktop Hosts to associate with the CachePoint Appliance. A host appears grayed out if it does not share

at least one datastore with the selected CachePoint and all other selected Desktops. To expand a cluster, click on

the cluster name.

5. In the Storage Tiers tab, specify the datastores in the virtual infrastructure that the CachePoint can use to store boot

images layers and archives.

1. Select a boot image datastore. This datastore contains the boot volume belonging to each Desktop.

2. Select a CachePoint and Layers datastore. This datastore contains Application Layer and the CachePoint virtual

machine itself .

3. Select an optional Archive datastore. Unidesk uses this datastore to store backups of the User User Layers. If you do

not specify an Archive datastore, Unidesk does not create or store backups for the CachePoint.

6. In the Network tab, specify IP configuration settings for the CachePoint Appliance.

1. If using a dynamic IP address, select DHCP.

2. If using a static IP address, select Static. When you select static, additional f ields become available for you to specify

address, gateway, and DNS information.

7. In the Confirm and Complete tab review the settings that you have specified and optionally enter a comment. Click

Create CachePoint. The comment you enter is displayed in the audit history in the Information view. The Unidesk

software begins creating the new CachePoint. You can monitor the progress of this task in the Tasks area of the

Management Console.

Change the root password on the new CachePoint Appliance

If you are comfortable using Linux, use either the vSphere console or SSH to log into the appliance as root (password

v9Yx*6uj), and enter Linux commands to change the root password.

If you are not familiar with the Linux commands for changing the root password, please contact the Unidesk Support team,

and they will either walk you through the steps or change it for you.


Connect to a Directory Service

Jun 28 , 2017

If you are using a directory service, such as Active Directory or Novell eDirectory, to manage user information, you can

extend the Unidesk directory tree to include user and group information from the remote directory service by creating

directory junctions (connections).

About extending the Unidesk directory to a remote directory service

The Unidesk Management Console directory tree view of the Unidesk environment displays a hierarchical view of all objects,

including users and groups. When you use a directory junction to extend this tree, it includes remote directory services. This

allows you to use existing users and groups for Unidesk desktops.

Example: Extended directory tree

In the following example, the Unidesk directory tree has a Directory Junction that connects to the corporate Active

Directory. Although the attributes for the Marketing users reside on the Active Directory server, the system administrator

can traverse the Unidesk directory tree and see the remote users in the same way that he can see the local users.

What happens when Directory Junctions overlap

Overlapping (or nested) Directory Junctions occur when you create multiple Directory Junctions that contain the same users

and then import the users into the Unidesk directory tree. When overlapping occurs, each Directory Junction contains its

own copy of the duplicate users.

Example: Overlapping directory junctions

Assume you create Directory Junction A that starts at the Marketing folder in a directory service tree. Next, you create

Directory Junction B which starts at a folder above the Marketing folder. If you browse both Directory Junctions, you can

see the Marketing users in both folders.

When user attributes are imported from remote directory services

The Unidesk software imports and caches attributes for users and groups from a remote directory service in the following

situations:

When you assign a desktop to a user or group in a remote directory service.

When you add a user or group from a remote directory service to a local group.

When you assign administrator privileges to a user from a remote directory service.

When the values of the attributes change in the remote directory service.

The attributes that the Unidesk software caches are read only. All changes to the attributes for directory service users

come from the directory server.

Imported attributes are synchronized regularly

The Unidesk software synchronizes the information it caches for directory service users with the remote directory service

every 12 hours. If the software discovers that a user is no longer an object in the directory service, it classifies the user as

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/tree_example.png


abandoned (you can view this information in the Information view for the user). You can continue to assign desktops to

this user; however, the attributes that the software originally obtained from the directory service are not updated unless

you change them manually in the Unidesk Management Console. In this case, the directory user is equivalent to a local user.

Directory service user name changes and assigned desktop owners

After you assign a directory service user to a Unidesk desktop, changing the name in the directory service has no effect on

the assigned owner of the desktop. Unidesk continues to display the original user name as the owner of the desktop.


Create a directory junction

Jun 28 , 2017

Use the Create Directory Junction action in the Users > Directory Service module to establish a connection to a remote

directory service.

Before you start

Create the folders where you want to place the Directory Junctions or decide which existing folder you want to use. You

can add a Directory Junction folder to any existing folder in the Unidesk Management Console directory tree.

Best Practice: Avoid creating overlapping Directory Junctions, if possible. In some circumstances, deleting an overlapping

Directory Junction can affect your ability to delete another Directory Junction that contains the same users. You can,

however, browse and assign desktops to users that belong to overlapping Directory Junctions.

Create a directory junction

1. Select Users > Directory Service.

2. Select Create Directory Junction in the Action bar. This opens the Create Directory Junction wizard.

3. In the Connection Details tab, specify the details for the directory server.

1. Enter a name for the Directory Junction. This name becomes the name of the folder that you see in the Unidesk

Management Console tree view. You can use any name that you prefer, including the name of a domain in your

directory service tree.

2. Enter the IP address or the DNS name for the server for the directory service.

3. Enter the number of the port that allows communication with the directory server.

4. If you want to use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) communication, select the SSL check box.

If certificate errors occur, the wizard displays a list of these errors. If you know it is safe to ignore them, select Ignore

Certificate Errors.

5. Click Test Connection to verify that the Management Appliance can connect to the specif ied directory service. If you

chose to use an SSL connection and certif icate errors occur, the wizard prompts you to confirm whether you want to

accept or reject the certif icate.

4. In the Authentication Details tab, enter the authentication details for a user who has permissions to search the

directory service.

1. Enter the ID, user name, or Distinguished Name. This ID is referred to as the Bind Distinguished Name (DN). To

determine the correct syntax for the Bind DN or user name, see the documentation for your directory service.

Examples: The following examples shows some of the ways you can specify a user for the directory service:

domain\username or [email protected].

2. Enter the password for the Bind DN.

3. Click Test Authentication to verify that the connection to the directory server is valid.

5. In the Distinguished Name Details tab, specify where the software should start searching for users and groups in the

remote directory service.


1. Select or enter the Base Distinguished Name (DN) from which the software starts searching for users and groups in

the remote directory service. Once you establish a connection to the server for the directory service, the wizard

displays a list of available DNs. You can select a DN from the list or enter the DN directly in the box.

Example: Assume that you want to start the search at the Marketing Organizational Unit at the root of a domain.

You would enter the following Base DN:

OU=marketing, DC=root,DC=mydomain DC=com

2. Click Test Base DN to verify that the Base DN you specif ied is valid.

6. In the Folder Location tab, select the folder in the Unidesk tree where you want to add the directory junction for the

remote directory service.

7. In the Attribute Mapping tab, enter the names of directory service attributes that you want to map to the local

attributes or use the default settings.

Notes:

To change the mapping from local attributes back to default mappings, click Use Defaults.

If using eDirectory, set the GUID mapping to GUID (not objectGUID, which will not work).

8. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify the Directory Junction settings, enter a comment if required, and click Update

Directory Junction.

If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.

Attribute mapping

To ensure that the Unidesk software can find user, group, and folder entities in a directory service, you can map attributes

that the directory service uses to the attributes that the Unidesk software uses.

Note: When you enter attribute values, use the following syntax. The software searches for the first attribute. If it cannot

find the first attribute, it searches for the second one.

attribute:attribute

The following tables describe the local attributes that you can map to directory service attributes.

User

Localattribute

Description

GUID

The Globally Unique Identifier for the user. If the user entity's location in the directory service changes, the

Unidesk software uses this attribute to locate it and retrieve its values.

Note: If using eDirectory, the GUID mapping must be set to GUID (not objectGUID).

DisplayName

A name associated with the user.


FirstName

The f irst name of the user.

LastName

The last of the user.

T itle A title associated with the user (for example Vice President of Sales).

LoginName

The user name for authentication.

Email The email address associated with the user.

Phone The telephone number associated with the user.

Address 1 The f irst line of the user's street address.

Address 2 The second line of the user's street address.

City The city associated with the user's street address.

State The state associated with the user's street address.

PostalCode

The postal or ZIP code associated with the user's street address.

Country The country associated wit the user's street address.

Group

Localattribute

Description

GUID

The Globally Unique Identifier for a group. If the group entity's location in the directory service changes,

the Unidesk software uses this attribute to locate it and retrieve its values.


DisplayName

A name associated with the group.

Description A description of the group.

Members The name of the groups in which the group has membership.


Folders

Localattribute

Description

GUID

The Globally Unique Identifier for a folder. If the folder entity's location in the directory service changes,

the Unidesk software uses this attribute to locate it and retrieve its values.


DisplayName

A name associated with the folder.

Description A description of the folder.

Search

Localattribute

Description

UserA search string that looks for users.

The default value searches for users based on their last names.

Group

A search string that looks for groups.

The default value searches for group names, including the names of groups that are members of other

groups.

FolderA search string that looks for specific contents in organizational units.

The default value searches organization units that are likely to contain users and groups.


Connect to a directory service

Jun 28 , 2017

Use the Create Folder and Create Directory Junction actions in the Users module to establish a connection to a remote

directory service, such as Microsoft Active Directory.

1. Select an existing folder or use the Create Folder action to create folders in the Unidesk directory tree structure where

you want to place connections to a remote directory service.

2. Use the Create Directory Junction action to specify the Bind Distinguished name and a Base Distinguished name for a

remote directory service .

The Bind Distinguished Name is the Distinguished Name or ID for a user that has permissions to search the directory

service tree.

The Base Distinguished Name is the starting point that the software uses when searching for users and groups in the

directory service tree.

3. Manage the users. You can assign desktops to the users, add them to local groups, or assign administrator privileges to

them, as if they were local users. When these actions occur, the Unidesk software caches the attributes for each

remote entry. If the connection to the directory service is lost temporarily, the software can use the cached information

for management tasks.



Jun 28 , 2017

While you can use Unidesk Desktops with any virtual desktop connection broker, Unidesk supports integrating with VMware

Horizon View and Citrix XenDesktop to simplify desktop management. When you integrate with one of these brokers, you

can easily put Desktops into broker VMware Horizon View pools or XenDesktop groups.

Integrating with a broker requires installing the Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent on the broker server. For

details about integrating with a broker, see:

Integrate with VMware Horizon View

Citrix XenDesktop

Pano Logic


Integrate with VMware Horizon View

Jun 28 , 2017

Once you integrate with VMware Horizon View, you can specify that you want new desktops to belong to a VMware®

Horizon View™ pool. This article lays out what you need to integrate with View, and gives you the detailed steps.

Requirements to integrate with Horizon View

What you need at each step of Horizon View integration

To... You need...

Get started A supported version of the VMware Horizon View Server.

Install the Unidesk broker agentAccess to an account that has administrator privileges on the connection broker

server.

Connect to the View Connection

Server

Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent installed on the View

connection server.

Create a View pool

VMware View access to the directory service users and groups that you want to

use for desktop entitlements.

At least one valid Directory Junction.

An Operating System Layer or Application Layer that contains the VMware View

Agent software.

Deploy Persistent Desktops in aView pool

A dedicated Manual pool.

Deploy Non-persistent desktops

in a View pool

A Manual floating-assignment pool. (Use a dummy virtual machine to create your

pool, and then remove it.)

Enable the VMware PowerShell and prepare the View Pools

Prepare the VMware PowerShell on View broker system

Enable PowerShell on the View broker system, and set it to Remote signed (or Unrestricted) for PowerShell script

execution, as follows.

1. On the View broker system desktop, click Start > Programs > View PowerCLI. This opens the View PowerCLI.

2. List the View PowerShell script execution policy by entering the command:

get-executionpolicy


3. If the policy listed is not RemoteSigned or Unrestricted, enter the following command and choose RemoteSigned as

the new value. For example:

set-executionpolicy RemoteSigned

PowerShell script execution is now enabled.

Prepare the VMware Horizon View Pools

When integrating VMware View pools with Unidesk, you can use two types of VMware pools:

Dedicated manual pools - Support Persistent Desktops. Using this type of pool, a desktop is assigned to a specif ic user.

That user will always use this dedicated desktop.

Floating-assignment manual pools - Support Non-persistent Desktops. Using this type of pool, desktops are assigned,

temporarily, to users on a f irst-come first-served basis. Users could receive different desktops every time they log on.

You cannot use automated pools with Unidesk; they are designed to create virtual machines within vCenter and would

bypass Unidesk. View Composer is never used in conjunction with Unidesk.

Prepare Dedicated View pools for Persistent Desktops

Prepare View floating-assignment manual pools for Non-persistent Desktops

Integrate with Horizon View

Unidesk and View Composer

View Composer does not need to be installed and is not used to deploy or manage virtual machines.

Install or upgrade the Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent

The Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent lets you integrate Unidesk desktops with connection brokers.

Integrating with VMware View™ Connection Server lets you:

Create dedicated manual pools and add persistent desktops to those pools.

Add nonpersistent desktops to f loating-assignment manual pools.

Automatically place desktops into maintenance mode during desktop rebuilds.

To install or upgrade the Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent

1. Determine which port to use for communication between Unidesk and the connection broker server. By default,

Connection Broker Agent uses port 390.

2. If you are planning to integrate with a VMware Horizon View environment, use VMware to create a pool.

3. Log into the View Connection Server using an account with administrator privileges.

4. Copy the via_setup.exe file from the UnideskInstall.x.x.x.xxx\Unidesk_Broker_Integration_Tools folder to a convenient

location on the server.

5. Double click the via_setup.exe file, and when prompted, enter the location where you want to install the Virtual Desktop


6. Accept the default communications port number (390) for the Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent.


Note: If you need to change the port number later, remember to change it both on the connection broker server and in

the Unidesk Management Console.


8. If you are using VMware Security Servers, you should exclude them. See Configure Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection

Broker Agent to exclude View Security Servers for more information.

Configure a connection to a View Connection Server

You can configure a connection to one or more View Connection Servers so that you can then use the Unidesk

Management Console to add desktops to a View pool. Using pools allows you to create a set of desktops before assigning

the desktops to specific owners.

To establish connections to one or more VMware View Connection Servers:


2. In View Connection Server Settings, click Edit to enter Edit mode.

3. Click Add.

4. Enter the connection details for the View Connection Server:

1. Enter the address or host name for the View Connection Server.

2. Enter the port that the Management Appliance and the View Connection Server use for communication purposes.

The default port number is 390.

5. Click Test Connection to verify that the connection to the View Connection Server is valid. If the connection is valid, the

Unidesk Management Console retrieves the list of pools that you can select when you create desktops or create and

modify templates.

6. Click Apply to add the server to the list.

7. Enter a comment, if necessary, and click Save to save the settings and exit Edit mode. If you enter comments, they

appear in the Information view Audit History.

Configure View Administrator to support Windows Server 2008 R2 (if applicable)

If you are using Windows Server 2008 R2 for your Desktops, use these steps to configure View Administrator support this

OS:

1. On your View Connection Server host, start the ADSI Edit utility. For more information, see Connecting to the View

ADAM Database (2012377).

2. Navigate to the object:

DC=vdi,DC=vmware,DC=int > OU=Properties > OU=Global > CN=Common

3. In the Attribute Editor for the DC=vdi,DC=vmware,DC=int > OU=Properties > OU=Global > CN=Common object, set the

pae-EnableServerInDesktopMode attribute to 1.

Deploy the VMware View Agent to Desktops

About deploying the VMware View Agent to Desktops

You need to deploy the VMware View agent to Desktops that will belong to the VMware View Desktop pool. You can

install the agent in any of these ways:

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2012377


As an Application layer deployed to the Desktops. (recommended) If you need to change to a new version of the agent,

you can use the layer to perform a new, clean installation instead of doing an upgrade.

As part of the gold image, before importing it into an Operating System Layer. This requires that you update the gold

image any time an agent update is needed.

As a user-installed application on the desktop and stored in the User Layer. This requires a manual installation or using a

separate application delivery method. For testing purposes, this can be the most expedient way to install the agent, but

it is not the recommended method for wide production distribution.

Each of these methods has its benefits and drawbacks. Unidesk has tested all of them, and while they all function, we

recommend deploying the View Agent as part of an Application Layer for ease of both deployment and maintenance.

For steps to deploy the View Agent as an Application Layer, see Deploy the View agent as an Application Layer below.

Deploy the View Agent as an Application Layer (Recommended)

Installing the agent as an Application Layer provides the easiest method for updating and managing the agent.

If you're deploying View Persona, be sure to do steps 5, 7 and 9.

To install the agent, complete the following steps:

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, create an Application Layer or a new Version of the existing Layer.

Note: When upgrading from VMware View 5.1 to 5.2, do not create a new Layer. Instead, create a new Version of the

existing Layer.

2. Allow the Installation Machine to start, then, use the local administrator account to log in to the Installation Machine.

3. Install the VMware View agent as an administrator.

4. Deselect the Composer Agent .

5. If you want to use the View Persona Management feature, make sure Persona Management is selected.

6. If you do not want to use the View Persona Management feature, make sure Persona Management is de-selected.

7. Open the Registry Editor (Start > Run > regedit ) so you can change the required Registry values.

8. Navigate to the InitialBroker key (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VMware, INC.\VMware

VDM\Agent\Configuration\InitialBroker) and set the value to your View Connection Server FDQN.

9. If you have already finalized the Layer, ensure that Unidesk adds the View Persona Folder Redirection driver to the

boot volume during Desktop rebuilds by changing the Start value of VMware View registry keys to zero (0) and then back

to the original values.

1. Edit the most recent Layer Version, or add a new Layer Version.

2. Navigate to the VMWVhub and VMWVvpfsd keys

(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VMWVhub).

3. Note the current Start values, then change the Start values to zero (0).

4. Finally, change the Start values back to the original ones.

10. Exit the Registry Editor.

11. If you are using the Unidesk Optimizer script and you are enabling the View Persona feature, you must go to the section


of the Optimizer script called Disable Unnecessary Services to Save Memory and CPU, deselect the option to DisableOffline File Service, and click Save File. This is because View Persona folder redirection requires Offline files to be

enabled, and by default, the Unidesk Optimizer turns off Offline files, which are not a requirement for Unidesk.

12. Restart the Installation Machine, as required.

13. Allow the final restart to occur and leave the Installation Machine in a running state.

14. If you are running non-persistent desktops and Windows XP, see this knowledgebase article on the Unidesk website.

15. Return to the Unidesk Management Console and finalize the layer. This causes the user account to log out and the

machine to shut down cleanly.

16. After the Layer finalization completes, deploy the Layer to any Unidesk desktop.

Deploy Desktops in a Horizon View Pool

Assuming you have installed the View agent on the Desktops, as described above, you can deploy the Desktops on a

Horizon View pool. A convenient way to create Desktops in a pool is to create a Desktop Template with the broker,

Desktop Type, and associated settings preselected.

You can create multiple desktops at a time in a VMware View pool.

When you create Persistent desktops in a VMware View pool, the software adds the desktops to an existing VMware

View dedicated manual pool.

When you create Non-persistent desktops in a VMware View pool, you select a VMware View pool and the number of

desktops to create. By default, the name of the selected pool is used as part of the name generated for each Desktop.

If the VMware View connection server is unreachable

If the pool exists, the desktop deployment task (in the Task Bar) indicates that the deployment completed with errors.

The desktop Information View indicates that a pool assignment is pending, and Unidesk tries to add the desktop to the

pool the next time it is started.

If the pool does not yet exist, the deployment task fails. In this case, Unidesk does not create the desktops or the pool.


Integrate with Citrix XenDesktop

Jun 28 , 2017

Once you integrate with Citrix XenDesktop, you can specify that you want new desktops to belong to a XenDesktop

group. This article lays out what you need to integrate with XenDesktop, and explains the steps in detail.

NOTE: This article explains how to integrate Unidesk 2.5.4 or later version with Citrix XenDesktop. If you are using an earlier

version of Unidesk, please use the earlier Solution Guide for Using Unidesk 2.x with Citrix XenDesktop instead.

Requirements to integrate with XenDesktop

What you need at each step of XenDesktop integration

This table explains what you'll need at each step of the integration process.

To... You need...

Get started A supported version of the Citrix XenDesktop software.

Install the Unidesk broker agentAccess to an account that has administrator privileges on the connection

broker server.

Connect to the XenDesktop

Controller

Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent installed on the XenDesktop

Controller.

Create a XenDesktop Group

XenDesktop Catalog(s) with a machine type of Existing.

XenDesktop access to the directory service users and groups that you want to

use for Desktop entitlements.

At least one valid Directory Junction.

An Operating System Layer that contains the XenDesktop Virtual Agent

software.

Install XenDesktop agent

Operating System Layer on which to install the agent. (You can install the

agent on the Layer or on a new Version of the Layer.)

If Microsoft .NET Framework 4 is not yet installed, it must be installed before

you install the XenDesktop agent.

Deploy Persistent Desktops in aXenDesktop group

A Private XenDesktop group.

XenDesktop's agent installed in a Version of the OS Layer (recommended), or

on the gold image.

Deploy Non-persistent Desktops At least one Shared XenDesktop group.

XenDesktop's agent installed in a Version of the OS Layer (recommended), or

https://www.unidesk.com/support/using-unidesk-2-x-citrix-xendesktop

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/about_this_release/plan_unidesk_platform_support


in a XenDesktop group on the gold image.

Prepare XenDesktop Controllers, Catalogs, and Groups

Configure XenDesktop Controller communication with vCenter

Use this section if you have not configured XenDesktop Controllers (XDC) to communicate with the VMware vCenter. This

section describes specific settings that may be required if you have not installed a valid SSL certificate on the vCenter server.

Citrix XDCs do not accept SSL communications from vCenter servers without a valid certificate. The process in this section

describes how to configure communication with the vCenter server using HTTP or HTTPS with VMware’s Self-Signed

Certificate.

Note: The settings described in this section apply to a Citrix and VMware configuration; they are not Unidesk requirements.

Customers should follow Citrix XenDesktop guidelines when communicating to VMware vCenter.

Using the VMware’s Self-Signed Certificate

The Citrix documentation for integrating XenDesktop with vSphere can be found here.

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/xenapp-and-xendesktop/7/cds-integrate-wrapper-rho/cds-vmware-rho.html

The relevant passage from that document

To protect vSphere communications, Citrix recommends that you use HTTPS rather than HTTP. HTTPS requires digital

certificates. Citrix recommends you use a digital certificate issued from a certificate authority in accordance with your

organization's security policy. If you are unable to use a digital certificate issued from a certificate authority, and your

organization's security policy permits it, you can use the VMware-installed self-signed certificate, with vSphere 4 or 4.1. To

do this:

1. Add the fully qualif ied domain name (FQDN) of the computer running vCenter Server to the hosts f ile on that server,

located at %SystemRoot%/WINDOWS/system32/Drivers/etc/. Note that this step is required only if the FQDN of the

computer running vCenter Server is not already present in the domain name system.

2. Open Internet Explorer and enter the address of the computer running vCenter Server as https://FQDN.

3. Accept the security warnings.

4. Click the Certif icate Error in the Security Status bar and select View certif icates.

5. Click Install certif icate, and then click Next.

6. Select Place all certif icates in the following store, and then click Browse.

7. Select the Show physical stores check box.

8. Expand Trusted People and select Local Computer.

9. Click OK, and then click Finish.

Configuring the VMware address on the XenDesktop Controller

When connecting to the VMware vCenter from within the XenDesktop interface, you are prompted to provide an address

similar to the following (note the use of the HTTPS protocol):

https://ServerName/sdk

Because of the change you made to the proxy.xml file, you can now use HTTP to communicate with the vCenter server

from the XenDesktop interface; avoiding the SSL errors that XenDesktop reports, indicating that it cannot locate the

VMware infrastructure. When prompted to provide the VMware address, use the syntax shown in the following example


(note the use of HTTP instead of HTTPS).

http://ServerName/sdk

Allowing non-SSL connections to the vCenter services

To allow non-SSL connections, edit the proxy.xml file that contains the configurations for the vCenter web services. This file

is located in the following folder:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Vmware\VMware VirtualCenter

1. Open the proxy.xml f ile (you can edit it using Notepad with word wrap turned on) and change the settings in the /SDK

serverNamespace section, as follows:

1. Search for or the following entry:<port>8085</port> to locate the section you need to change The following

example shows the default settings.

<_type>vim.ProxyService.LocalServiceSpec</_type> <accessMode>httpsWithredirect</accessMode>

<port>8085</port>

<serverNamespace>/sdk</serverNamespace>

2. Change the value for the <accessMode> object as shown in the following example, in bold text.

<_type>vim.ProxyService.LocalServiceSpec</_type>

<port>8085</port>

<accessMode>httpAndHttps</accessMode>

<serverNamespace>/sdk</serverNamespace>

3. Save your changes.

2. Restart the vCenter services, including the VMware Virtual Center service and the VMware virtual center web services.

Prepare XenDesktop Catalogs

Before integrating Unidesk and XenDesktop you need to create one or two catalogs for the integration. If you will only

use persistent desktops then you will only need a Private Catalog. If you will also support non-persistent desktops you will

need a Shared catalog.

Private Catalog

You can create the Private catalog using Desktop Studio directly. Choose add catalog, use Existing as the catalog type. Add

any virtual machine; you must pick one to add the catalog. You can remove the virtual machine later. However it is actually

easier to add the catalog using a PowerShell command from the XenDesktop Studio PowerShell Interface as shown in the

next paragraph.

Shared Catalog

To Add a Shared catalog you must use the PowerShell interface because Citrix does not provide a way using Desktop

Studio to add a Shared Desktop Catalog that uses Existing desktops. The commands to add the catalogs are quite easy.

First open Desktop Studio and select the Desktop Studio Icon in the upper left. Then launch PowerShell.

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/broker_xen_catalog_prep.png

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/info_grey2.png


PowerShell commands for adding Catalogs

At the PowerShell command line use the following commands to add your catalogs.

#To create a new shared catalog for existing desktops

new-BrokerCatalog -Name "Unidesk Shared" -AllocationType Random

-CatalogKind PowerManaged -Description "Unidesk Shared Desktop Catalog"

#To create a new Private catalog for existing desktops

new-BrokerCatalog -Name "Unidesk Private" -AllocationType Permanent -CatalogKind PowerManaged

-Description "Unidesk Private Desktop Catalog"

Prepare XenDesktop Groups

After you create the catalogs you will want to create Desktop Groups. For persistent desktops one group will be enough

as each user gets their own desktop. For shared groups you can have many Desktop Groups based on need.

Manual Desktop group creation

To manually add a Desktop Group using Desktop Studio you will need to have at least one available Desktop from the

catalog that you created for the group. You can then use Desktop Studio to create the group. XenDesktop will not let you

create an empty group. So use the desktop you used to manually create the catalog and remove it after you have created

the group.

Automated Desktop group creation

If you have a need to create many Desktop Groups you may find it quicker to use the Citrix PowerShell interface to do

that. To use PowerShell to create the group, see the next two sections.

Shared Desktop Group

Private Desktop Groups (all versions)

Integrate with XenDesktop

About XenDesktop integration

When using Unidesk software with Citrix XenDesktop, Unidesk software replaces Provisioning Services (PVS) and Machine

Creation Services (MCS) for Persistent Desktops. The Unidesk Management creates, patches, updates, and manages

Desktops, with Citrix Controllers providing connectivity to the virtual machines.

Currently, one Unidesk system can only be connected to a single group of XenDesktop Controllers. If you require an

architecture where separate groups of controllers are supported, say at separate sites, you can create desktops in Unidesk

and manually add them to other instances of XenDesktop controllers. They will appear in Unidesk as non-XenDesktop

integrated desktops.

Install or upgrade the Unidesk Connection Broker Agent

Once it's installed on your XenDesktop Controllers, the Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent lets you add

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/broker_xen_desktop_group_prep.png


Unidesk desktops to XenDesktop groups.

To install or upgrade the Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent on a XenDesktop Controller:



2. If you are planning to integrate with a Citrix XenDesktop environment, use Desktop Studio to create a catalog that has

a machine type of Existing.

3. Log into the View Connection Server or XenDesktop Controller using an account with administrator privileges.






Note: If you need to change the port number later, remember to change the port number both on the connection

broker server and in the Unidesk Management Console.


8. Now you need to set the logon user for the Unidesk Broker Agent. In the Start Menu, select Administrative Tools ->

Services. Then select the Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent and click Properties. Select the Logon tab

and set your desired user. This can be a local or domain user however the user must be added to the administrators

group on the DDC and it must be added to the XenDesktop Administrators in Desktop Studio as a Full Administrator.

Set up a connection to a Citrix XenDesktop Controller

When you connect to one or more XenDesktop Controllers, you can retrieve a list of available XenDesktop catalogs and

then assign desktops to a XenDesktop group.


2. In XenDesktop Controller Settings, click Edit to enter Edit mode.

3. Click Add.

4. Enter the connection details for the XenDesktop Controller:

1. Enter the IP address or Fully Qualif ied Domain Name (FQDN) for the Controller.

2. Enter the port number that the Management Appliance and the Controller can use for communication purposes.

The default port number is 390. If you use a different port number, remember to change the port number configured

on the XenDesktop Controller.

3. Unidesk supports communication with one Citrix XenDesktop Controller only.

5. Click Test Connection to verify that the connection to the Controller is valid.

If you created catalogs before you configured the settings for the XenDesktop Controller, clicking Test Connection

allows Unidesk to retrieve a list of Existing catalogs.

6. Click Apply to add the Controller to the list.


7. Repeat this procedure for each Controller that you want to add to the configuration.

8. Click Save to save the Controller settings and exit Edit mode.

Install the XenDesktop Virtual Desktop Agent (VDA)

About installing the Virtual Desktop Agent

Next, you need to deploy the Citrix XenDesktop agent to the Desktops that will belong to the Citrix XenDesktop group.

You can install the agent by adding it to a version of the Unidesk OS Layer, though you could also install it on the gold

image. The steps vary based on the VDA version.

Installing VDA 7.x

When you install XenDesktop 7.x, there are several settings you must choose for the software to work correctly with

Unidesk. Please use the instructions in this section when doing the installation.

Before you start

You can install Citrix XenDesktop 7.x on:

the Operating System Layer

a Version of the Operating System Layer that you’ll deploy to Desktops

an Application Layer

Microsoft .NET Framework 4 must be installed before you install XenDesktop 7.

Run the XenDesktop Installer

1. If .NET Framework 4 is not yet installed, install it on a Layer or Layer Version. (.NET Framework 4 is required by Citrix

XenDesktop 7.x.)

2. Start the Citrix XenDesktop 7.x installer and choose Virtual Delivery Agent for Windows Desktop OS.

3. On the Environment step, choose Enable Remote PC Access.

4. On the HDX 3D Pro step, choose the appropriate type for your graphics hardware. For example:

5. On the Delivery Controller step, enter the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of your XenDesktop 7.x server. (You must

use the FQDN rather than the IP address.) For example:

6. On the Features step, disable both Optimize performance and Personal vDisk. Optionally, select the Remote

Assistance, if it is something that you will be using with your Xen desktops.

7. Continue to the end of the installer steps and start the installation.


8. If at any point during the installation a window pops up requesting a reboot and gives you the choice to reboot later,

choose Reboot later. Otherwise, restart and continue the installation when the desktop comes back up.

9. When the installation completes, select Restart machine and click Finish.

NOTE: Steps 10 and 11 are applicable if you have installed VDA on the gold.

10. After the restart, download the latest version of the Unidesk Unattend Builder from the Tools section of the Unidesk

Download Center:

Scroll until you see Tools toward the bottom of the page.

Expand the Tools section, and click the Unattend download.

Unzip the Unattend package and extract the f iles to c:\windows\setup\scripts.

11. Run Unattend.exe as Administrator. Running this script will ensure that deployed Desktops are set up to work with

XenDesktop 7.x.

12. Now either finalize the layer (if you were building an OS version) or shutdown the gold and use it to create an OS layer.

Installing VDA 5.6

Installing VDA 5.6 without the Personal vDisk

VDA must be installed on Unidesk Desktops without Citrix XenDesktop Personal vDisk, but the standard VDA 5.6 installer

includes it automatically. To install VDA without the Personal vDisk:

1. Open the source folder on the XenDesktop ISO as shown below.

2. Then install the XDSAgent version that matches your OS bit level by double clicking the appropriate msi. Do not install

the Personal vDisk.

The installation has no options and finishes quickly.

3. Restart when prompted.

4. Add your DDC to the configuration using the following registry setting.

32-bit computers:

HKLM\Software\Citrix\VirtualDesktopAgent\

REG_SZ: ListOfDDCs

Value: Server.Domain.domain

64-bit computers:

HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Citrix\VirtualDesktopAgent\

REG_SZ: ListOfDDCs


For information about additional Controller options, see the Citrix XenDesktop documentation topic To add a controllerand How registry keys on virtual desktops affect controller discovery at:

http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xendesktop/xd-library-wrapper.html

https://www.unidesk.com/support/download-center


Installing XenDesktop 5.6 as a new Operating System Layer Version (recommended)

If you add the XenDesktop VDA as an OS version, then on any existing machine that you want to upgrade to the new

version of XenDesktop you must run an additional script to properly configure the Windows Registry. Run the following

PowerShell script on each desktop once you have applied the OS revision:

$acl = Get-Acl "hklm:\system\currentcontrolset\control\terminal server"

$ar = new-object System.Security.AccessControl.RegistryAccessRule("NT SERVICE\WorkstationAgent", "FullControl",

"ContainerInherit", "None","Allow")

$acl.AddAccessRule($ar)

Set-Acl "hklm:\system\currentcontrolset\control\terminal server" -AclObject $acl

If you create new machines with the revision they will already have this setting configured.

Installing VDA 5.5 or earlier

To install the agent, complete the following steps:

1. As an administrator, install the Citrix XenDesktop agent on an Operating System Layer version or on the gold image. .

Note: During installation, the machine must be part of the domain, or desktops will be unreachable. The administrator

can set the desktop controller entries using registry settings or using a GPO.

2. Connect the XenDesktop 5.x ISO image to the virtual machine that you plan to use (the OS Layer or gold image). Then,

open Autoplay for the CD.

3. When the agent installation program opens, select Install Virtual Desktop Agent.

4. Next, select Advanced Install.

5. Deselect Support for XenApp Application Delivery unless it’s required for your environment.

6. On the Controller Location window, either enter the controller locations manually OR select Configure at a later time. In

our testing, we selected the Configure at a later time option. We added the Desktop Delivery Controller (DDC) entry in

the registry manually.

7. In the Virtual Desktop Configuration window, locate the firewall ports it displays and record them. Use a GPO to

configure these ports in Active Directory or, as in Unidesk’s testing, reconfigure or disable the firewall manually. In our

testing, we disabled the firewall to ensure that no communication problems occurred.

8. Click OK on the remaining installation windows to complete the installation.


9. If you chose to configure the XenDesktop Controller (XDC) at a later time, create the following registry entry:

32-bit computers:

HKLM\Software\Citrix\VirtualDesktopAgent\

REG_SZ: ListOfDDCs


64-bit computers:

HKLM\Software\Wow6432\Citrix\VirtualDesktopAgent\

REG_SZ: ListOfDDCs


The value of the registry entry is a space-delimited list of the FQDNs of Citrix DDCs. In our test environment, the FQDN

was Xendt5.domain.local.

For information about additional Controller options, see the Citrix XenDesktop documentation topic To add a controllerand How registry keys on virtual desktops affect controller discovery at:

http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xendesktop/xd-library-wrapper.html

Deploy Desktops in XenDesktop Groups

Deploy Persistent Desktops in a XenDesktop Group

To deploy Persistent desktops in a XenDesktop Group:

1. Select Desktops and select Create Desktop in the Action bar.

2. Follow the steps to Create a Persistent Desktop, and when you get to the User Assignment tab of the Create Desktop

wizard, select the connection broker and the users or groups to assign to the desktop.

1. For the broker integration, select XenDesktop Group.

2. Then select the actual XenDesktop group.

3. Select a user assignment option:

Select Assigned to user and select an Active Directory user.

Select Assigned to group and select an Active Directory group. You must specify the number of desktops that are

available to the group when you select this option.

Select Assigned by broker to allow the XenDesktop Controller to assign users to the desktops. You must specify

the number of desktops to create when you select this option.

3. In the Desktop Details tab, follow the usual desktop creation instructions and select Persistent as the Desktop Type.

4. Finish creating the desktop(s).

After desktop creation

Make sure the Windows Firewall is configured to allow the desktops to communicate with the XenDesktop Controller. You

can use a GPO for this purpose after adding the desktops to a domain. For additional details about firewall configuration,

see the Citrix XenDesktop documentation.

Deploy Non-persistent Desktops in a XenDesktop Group

When you create Non-persistent desktops in a XenDesktop Group, you select a Group and the number of desktops to

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_desktops/deploy_desktop_create_persistent




create. By default, the name of the selected XenDesktop Group is used as part of the name generated for each Desktop.

To deploy Non-persistent desktops in a XenDesktop Group:

1. Follow the steps to Create a Non-persistent Desktop, and when you get to the User Assignment tab of the Create

Desktop wizard, select the connection broker and the users or groups to assign to the desktop.

1. For the broker integration, select XenDesktop Group.

2. Then select the actual XenDesktop group.

3. Select a user assignment option:

Select Assigned to user and select an Active Directory user.

Select Assigned to group and select an Active Directory group. You must specify the number of desktops that are

available to the group when you select this option.

Select Assigned by broker to allow the XenDesktop Controller to assign users to the desktops. You must specify

the number of desktops to create when you select this option.

2. In the Desktop Details tab, follow the usual desktop creation instructions and select Nonpersistent as the Desktop

Type.


After desktop creation

Make sure the Windows Firewall is configured to allow the desktops to communicate with the XenDesktop Controller. You

can use a GPO for this purpose after adding the desktops to a domain. For additional details about firewall configuration,

see the Citrix XenDesktop documentation.

Upgrading to Citrix XenDesktop 7.x

Before You Start

Before starting the upgrade you should know:

Citrix XenDesktop 7.x must be installed in a new version of the Operating System layer or on the gold image used in the

Operating System Layer. If a previous version of XenDesktop is currently on an Application layer, you’ll have to change

that using the instructions in this section.

Ensure you have access to an account with administrator privileges on the connection broker server.

Upgrade XenDesktop on the Citrix XenDesktop Controller

Upgrade the Citrix XenDesktop Controller from version 5.x to 7.x, as described in the XenDesktop documentation.

Upgrade the Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent

You can upgrade the connection broker agent by running the via_setup.exe file as follows.

1. Log into the XenDesktop Controller using an account with administrator privileges.

2. Use the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) to shut down the UniVIA service on the XenDesktop Controller. This

eliminates the need to restart the system to compete the upgrade.



https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_desktops/deploy_desktop_create_nonpersist

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_desktops/deploy_desktop_create_nonpersist




5. Unless you had set a different port for communications with the Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent,

accept the default port number (390) for the agent.

Note: If you need to change the port number later, see the instructions in the online help for Changing settings for the

Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent. And, if you change the port number on the connection broker server,

remember to also change the port number in the Unidesk Management Console.


7. Now you need to set the logon user for the Unidesk Broker Agent. In the Start Menu, select Administrative Tools ->

Services. Then select the Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent and click Properties. Select the Logon tab

and set your desired user. This can be a local or domain user however the user must be added to the administrators

group on the DDC and it must be added to the XenDesktop Administrators in Desktop Studio as a Full Administrator.

Create an Operating System Layer Version containing XenDesktop 7.x Virtual Desktop Agent

Create an Operating System Layer version, and add the XenDesktop 7.x Virtual Desktop Agent to it using the instructions in

the earlier section about the Virtual Desktop Agent Installation in an OS version. You can either uninstall the earlier version

of the Xen agent or just upgrade it.

Deploy the New Operating System Layer to the Desktops

1. Edit desktops and select new OS layer version.

2. If you had XenDesktop 5.x in an application layer, then make sure that you deselect that application layer as well as

selecting the new OS layer version.

3. To avoid any issues with auto-created printers, make sure users are logged out of their Desktops before deploying the

new XenDesktop 7.x Layer. This is because printer permissions (and printing in general) are different between

XenDesktop versions 5.x and 7.x. An alternative approach is to create a GPO, similar to the one shown below, that

removes auto-created printers.

Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\.\root\cimv2")

Set colInstalledPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery _

("Select * from Win32_Printer Where Name like '%(from %)'")

For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters

objPrinter.Delete_

Next

4. Deploy the change(s) to the selected Desktops.


Integrate with Pano Logic

Jun 28 , 2017

Prepare to deploy Unidesk Desktops in Pano Logic collections

Use the following Unidesk Solution Guide to prepare to deploy Unidesk Desktops in Pano Logic collections.

Using Unidesk 2.x with Pano Logic 5.x

Connect to a Pano Manager Server

Set up a connection to a Pano Manager server

A connection to a Pano Manager allows you to add Desktops to a Pano Desktop collection.

To edit a connection to a Pano Manager:


2. In the Pano Manager Server Settings box, click Edit.

3. Enter the connection details for the Pano Manager:

1. Enter the IP address or a Fully Qualif ied Domain Name (FQDN) for the Pano Manager server.

2. Enter the user name for an account that has administrator permissions.

3. If you want to use a secure connection between the Pano Manager and the Management Appliance, select Use SSL.

4. Click Test Connection to verify that the connection to the Pano Manager server is valid.

5. Enter a comment, if necessary and click Save.


Deploy Desktops in a Pano Logic collection

Pano Logic Desktops in the Unidesk environment

When you deploy desktops in the Unidesk environment, you can specify that you want them to be part of a Pano Logic

collection.

Pano Logic collections

A Pano Logic collection is a set of virtual machines that you can manage as a single logical unit. Pano Logic collections

depend on the folder organization in the VMs and Templates view in the VMware vCenter server. When you configure a

Desktop Virtual Machine (DVM) collection, you specify a folder that will contain all of the virtual machines in that collection.

You must use the Pano Logic Administrator to create the collections.

Integration of Pano Logic desktops with the Unidesk environment

To be able to create desktops that the Pano System can recognize, the Management Appliance needs to be able to

communicate with the Pano Manager or Pano Controller to obtain a list of Pano Logic collections. The Pano Manager

Server settings in the Unidesk Management Console allows you to specify the IP address or a Fullly Qualified Domain Name

(FQDN) for the Pano Manager, as well as a user name for an account with administrator privileges.


One collection for each folder

Ensure that only Unidesk desktops associated with a single collection reside in a specific vCenter folder. The Unidesk

Management Console cannot manage desktops that are located in folders that contain multiple collections.

If you put a CachePoint Appliance in a folder that you are using for a Pano Logic collection, ensure that you place the

CachePoint Appliance in Maintenance mode. Doing so prevents devices other than the Unidesk components from trying to

communicate with it.

Installation of Pano Logic software

To enable desktops to communicate with the Pano Manager, you must install the Pano Logic software on these desktops.

You can install this software in the following ways:

On a gold image that you import into an Operating System Layer (recommended).

As part of an Application Layer.

As a user-installed application that is stored in the User Layer.

In addition, these desktops must be members of a domain and must have the Windows Firewall configured to allow

communication with the Pano Manager.

Desktop behavior

When you create desktops, you can select the collection where you want to create the desktop. The CachePoint

Appliance that is hosting the desktop creates a virtual machine in the vCenter folder that is associated with the collection.

After deploying these desktops, you can see the desktop when logged in to the Pano Manager.

A Pano Logic desktop that you deploy from the Unidesk Management Console behaves in the same manner as any other

desktop, with the following exception:

When changes to the desktop configuration result in the need to rebuild the bootable image, the desktop deployment

process places the desktop in Maintenance Mode while the rebuild is in progress.

If you use the Unidesk Management Console Restore feature to restore a desktop, you have to add the desktop to the

Pano Logic collection, manually.

In addition, you cannot create a Pano Logic collection using the Unidesk Management Console.

Deploy Persistent Desktops for a Pano Logic System

If you are using a Pano Logic System, you can use the Unidesk Management Console to create a desktop that the Pano

Manager recognizes as a member of one of its collections.

Before you start

Configure the Pano Manager Server settings in the System > Configuration and Settings module.

Using the Pano Manager, configure one or more collections.

Determine how you want to install the Pano Logic software on the desktops. You can:

Install the Pano Logic software on the gold image that you plan to use for the Operating System Layer.

Install the software in an Application Layer that you assign to the desktops.

Install the software directly on individual desktops.


Note: Installing the Pano Logic software on a gold image and importing that gold image into an Operating System

Layer is the recommended method for installing the Pano Logic software on desktops. Installing the agent on the

gold image provides the easiest method for updating and managing the agent.

However, you can also install the Pano Logic software as an Application Layer or as a user-installed application on an

individual desktop.

Create Persistent Desktops for a Pano Logic System

1. In the User Assignment tab select a Pano Logic collection and the users or groups to assign to the desktop.

1. Select Pano Logic Collection for the broker integrations.

2. Select a Pano Logic collection.

3. For the user assignment, select Assigned to user or Assigned to group. If you select Assigned to group, select the

number of desktops to create.

2. In the Desktop Details tab, follow the usual desktop creation instructions and select Persistent as the Desktop Type.


After Desktop creation

Make sure the Windows Firewall is configured to allow the desktops to communicate with the Pano Manager. You can use

a GPO for this purpose after adding the desktops to a domain. For additional details about firewall configuration, see the

Pano Manager online Help.

Deploy Non-persistent Desktops for a Pano Logic System

If you are using a Pano Logic System, you can use the Unidesk Management Console to create a desktop that the Pano

Manager or Pano Controller recognizes as a member of one of its collections.

Before you start

Configure the Pano Manager Server settings in the System > Configuration and Settings module.

Using the Pano Manager, configure one or more collections.

Determine how you want to install the Pano Logic software on the desktops. You can:

Install the Pano Logic software on the gold image that you plan to use for the Operating System Layer.

Install the software in an Application Layer that you assign to the desktops.

Install the software directly on individual desktops.

Note: Installing the Pano Logic software on a gold image and importing that gold image into an Operating System

Layer is the recommended method for installing the Pano Logic software on desktops. Installing the agent on the

gold image provides the easiest method for updating and managing the agent.

Ensure that the Operating System Layer that you want to assign to the desktop is available.

Ensure that the Application Layers that you want to assign to the desktop are available and use the same Operating

System Layer as the Desktop(s).

Create Nonpersistent Desktops for a Pano Logic System

1. In the User Assignment tab, select a Pano Logic collection and the users or groups to assign to the desktop.

1. Select Pano Logic Collection for the broker integration.

2. Select a Pano Logic collection.


3. Select Assigned to user or Assigned to group for the user assignment. If you select Assigned to group, select the

number of desktops to create.

2. In the Desktop Details tab, follow the usual desktop creation instructions and select Nonpersistent as the Desktop

Type.


After Desktop creation

Make sure the Windows Firewall is configured to allow the desktops to communicate with the Pano Manager. You can use

a GPO for this purpose after adding the desktops to a domain. For additional details about firewall configuration, see the

Pano Manager online Help.


Create an OS Layer

Jun 28 , 2017

An Operating System Layer includes the software and settings for the operating system that you deploy to Desktops. To

create an Operating System Layer, you import the operating system software and settings from your gold image. The gold

image must include the Unidesk Tools and it should be optimized for the Unidesk environment.

Before creating an Operating System Layer

Make sure there's a gold image in a directory the Management Appliance can access, and that the Unidesk software is

installed on the image.


Prepare the gold image

Jun 28 , 2017

This topic explains how to prepare a gold image for the Unidesk environment, including:

Creating an answer f ile for unattended OS setup.

Optimizing the OS for the Unidesk environment.

Installing Unidesk tools on the image.

(Windows 8.1) Removing Metro apps to speed up f irst-login times, especially for Non-persistent Desktops. (Optional, but

especially recommended for Non-persistent Desktops.)

In the Unidesk environment, a gold image is a VMware virtual machine that contains the base operating system that you

deploy to Desktops. You can import this gold image into a Unidesk Operating System Layer and use it to build Desktops for

all your users.

Use the tools included in the Unidesk installer download to prepare a Windows gold image for the Unidesk environment.

Notes:

The Unidesk installation package must be downloaded to a machine that the gold image can access.

Using Third-party optimization scripts can have adverse effects in Unidesk, as they can change services and features that

Unidesk uses, for example, Universal Plug and Play and the 8.3 f ile names setting. Use the optimization tools in the

Unidesk Installer download to optimize your image.

The gold image should not be in a domain

The gold image should get its IP address from DHCP

The Paravirtual SCSI controller is not supported. You must use the default controller (SCSI BusLogic) for the OS to be

functional. Unidesk supports the LSI Logic SAS controller type. If you subsequently change the SCSI controller type to

anything else, such as VMware Paravirtual SCSI controller, the OS Layer import will fail.

Supported operating systems


Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1511 (Build 10586) 64-bit (Professional, Enterprise, Education) – Only supported on ESXiversion 6.0 and above.Microsoft Windows 8.1 Update, 32-bit, 64-bit (Professional, Enterprise)





Note: Single-byte language packs are supported for all platforms, except for Windows XP. The language pack is supportedin the Gold image only.

Which operating system are you using?

Choose the operating system you are using for the gold image:

Windows 8.1, and Windows 10

Windows 7

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_an_os_layer/deploy_os_gold_image_prepare#Prepare3

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_an_os_layer/deploy_os_gold_image_prepare#Prepare


Windows Server 2012 R2 (Desktops)

Windows Server 2008 R2 (Desktops)

Windows XP

Prepare a Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 gold image

STEP 1: Set up a Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 gold image on a virtual machine

In the vSphere client:

1. Create a gold image that you want all your desktops to use.

2. Configure the virtual machine hardware settings, for example, the NIC and video memory.

3. Disable Windows System Restore and Windows Automatic Updates. The Unidesk system handles restore points for you,

and Unidesk layer versions allow you to control when updates occur.

4. Make sure you have installed VMware Tools on the gold operating system.

STEP 2: Mount or copy the Unidesk Tools onto the gold image

1. Mount the Unidesk_Gold_Image_Tools ISO or copy the Unidesk_Gold_Image_Tools ZIP f ile onto the gold image. You

can f ind these tools in the Unidesk Installer download.

2. Open the ISO or extract the ZIP.

3. In the extracted Unidesk_Gold_Image_Tools_x.x.x folder, extract Unidesk_Windows_Gold_Image_Tools.zip to

c:\windows\setup\scripts.

STEP 3: Create an answer file for unattended installation on Unidesk Desktops

1. In the c:\windows\setup\scripts folder, right-click the unattend.exe tool and choose Run as administrator. The

unattend builder form opens.

2. Complete the unattend form.

Product key activation

For KMS activation, select KMS Server.

For KMS with a Multiple Activation Key (MAK), select KMS with MAK and enter the MAK.

For Retail Licensing with a MAK, select Retail with MAK, and the MAK.

Domain Join

Select Enable if you want to configure the unattend.xml file to join Desktops to a specific domain. If you plan to use AD

join scripts, ensure Enable is not selected.

You can add Desktops to the Computer's container in Active Directory by deleting the OU entry. However, we

recommend that you use an alternate OU for Unidesk Desktops, both to segregate the Desktop from other machines

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_an_os_layer/deploy_os_gold_image_prepare#Prepare_win2012




and to avoid applying virtual Desktop-specific GPOs to other types of machines.

If you are supporting multiple OUs within one or more domains, you can join machines in different Domains or OUs by

creating different unattend.xml files in different application layers.

Local Administrator account

You can enable the Administrator account on each Unidesk Desktop by selecting Enable. Remember to also enable this

account in your gold image or Operating System Layer version. You can also enable the Administrator account for your

gold image and then have it disabled in the deployed Desktops by clearing the check box.

If you want to add an alternate Administrator account, select Enable and enter the account information. This account

cannot be preconfigured in the gold image.

You can create a Desktop where the Administrator is disabled and the alternate administrator is created and enabled.

However for this to work, the Administrator account must be enabled in the gold image and it cannot be renamed.

T ime Zone

If your time zone is not listed, you can add it to the Other box. Be sure to use the time zone, not the display setting.

Disabling automatic activation

Select this option if you plan to use the Microsoft Volume Activation Management Tool.

3. Click Save File.

STEP 4: Optimize the gold image for the Unidesk environment

1. In the c:\windows\setup\scripts folder, right-click the optimizations.exe tool and choose Run as administrator. This

creates a .cmd file (optimizations.cmd) that will be run during Desktop creation to optimize the image.

2. Follow the instructions to run the optimizations.cmd file on the gold image. This removes installation-specific drivers and

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749073%28v=ws.10%29.aspx


settings.

If you are using the Unidesk Optimizer script and you are enabling the View Persona feature, you must go to the section



STEP 5: Create a backup copy of the gold image

Once the gold image is ready, create a copy of it so you can return to this state at any time.

Important: It is critical to create a backup copy before installing the Unidesk software onto the gold image. Without this

backup copy, returning to this state requires rebuilding the image.

STEP 6: Install the Unidesk software onto the gold image

1. Run setup_x64.exe from c:\Windows\setup\scripts.

Once this is done, you are ready to create a Unidesk Operating System Layer.

Tips

Tips for deploying Windows 8.1

Improving Windows 8.1 login times

If you want to speed up login times for Windows 8.1 Desktops, especially Non-persistent Desktops, you can disable some

of the more costly and less necessary GUI actions.

Turn off new user arrows

You can turn off new user arrows, by making the following Registry edits:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI

DisableHelpSticker DWORD

0 = Enable help tips

1 = Disable help tips

Turn off startup animation

You can turn off startup animation with these Registry edits:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

EnableFirstLogonAnimation DWORD

0 = Disable first sign-in animation

1 = Enable first sign-in animation


Disable bootlog and boot animation

You can disable bootlog and boot animation.

1. Open a command window.

2. Enter these commands:

bcdedit /set {default} bootlog no

bcdedit /set {default} quietboot yes

Disable lock screen

Disable lock screen:

1. Open the Group Policy Editor by right-clicking Computer.

2. Select Conf iguration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization3. Set Do not display the lock screen to Enabled.

If you prefer to make this change by editing the Registry:

1. In the Registry, under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization create a new

DWORD (32-bit) Value named NoLockScreen with a value of 1.

2. Restart the system.

Deploying Windows 8.1 applications

For steps to deliver Windows 8.1 applications in Unidesk Layers, see Deploying Windows 8.1 applications.

T ips for deploying Windows 10

When preparing the gold image for import into a Unidesk Operating System Layer, you can speed up start times by removing

Windows 10 built-in applications. If you do, we recommend removing these applications either on the gold image itself, or

on the Operating System Layer.

Prepare a Windows 7 gold image

STEP 1: Set up a Windows 7 gold image on a virtual machine










https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_application_layers/deploy_apps_win8.1

http://www.howtogeek.com/224798/how-to-uninstall-windows-10s-built-in-apps-and-how-to-reinstall-them/





STEP 3: Create an answer file for unattended installation on Unidesk desktops








Domain Join

Select Enable if you want to configure the unattend.xml f ile to join desktops to a specif ic domain. If you plan to

use AD join scripts, ensure Enable is not selected.

You can add desktops to the Computer's container in Active Directory by deleting the OU entry. However, we

recommend that you use an alternate OU for Unidesk desktops, both to segregate the desktop from other

machines and to avoid applying virtual desktop-specif ic GPOs to other types of machines.

If you are supporting multiple OUs within one or more domains, you can join machines in different Domains or OUs

by creating different unattend.xml f iles in different application layers.

For information about domain join scripts,see the following Support articles:

Debugging Domain Join Problems in Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2

Using PowerShell for Advanced Domain Join Operations


If you want to use the unattend.xml f ile to enable the Administrator account on each Unidesk desktop, select

Enable. Remember to also enable this account in your gold image or Operating System Layer revision. It is possible

to enable the Administrator account for your gold image and then have it disabled in the deployed desktops by

clearing the check box.

If you want to add an alternate Administrator account, select Enable and enter the account information. This

account cannot be pre-configured in the gold image.

You can create a desktop where the Administrator is disabled and the alternate administrator is created and

enabled. However for this to work, the Administrator account must be enabled in the gold image and it cannot be

renamed.

Time zone

Select the time zone. If your time zone is not listed, you can add it to the Other box. Be sure to use the time zone,

not the display setting. A list of time zone settings can be found here.



3. Click Save File.


https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_an_os_layer/troubleshoot_domain_join

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1. In the c:\windows\setup\scripts folder, run the Optimize executable to create a .cmd file (optimize.cmd) that will be run

to optimize the image during desktop creation.

2. Follow the instructions to run the optimize.cmd file on the gold image. This removes installation-specific drivers and

settings.




STEP 5: Create a VMware snapshot of the gold image

Once the gold image is ready, create a VMware snapshot of it so you can return to this state at any time.

Important: It is critical to create a snapshot before installing the Unidesk software onto the gold image. Without this

snapshot, returning to this state requires rebuilding the image.


1. In the Unidesk_Gold_Image_Tools folder, run the Unidesk setup_x86.exe (32-bit) or setup_x64.exe (64-bit).

2. The installation prompts for the location of the Management Appliance IP address and the location of the unattend.xml

file (the default location is c:\windows\panther).


Prepare a Windows Server 2012 R2 gold image (Desktops)

STEP 1: Set up a Windows Server 2012 R2 gold image on a virtual machine


1. Create a gold image that you want all your desktops to use. It should be a new Generation 1 virtual machine.


Note: You can have just one network device in your gold image. If using VMware Horizon View, you must select the

VMXNET 3 network adapter for the virtual machine. Selecting the default E1000 adapter can cause customization

timeout errors on the virtual machine.

3. Configure a virtual hard disk that is large enough for a Windows operating system installation, and make sure it is

accessible by the Unidesk Management Appliance.

4. Install Windows Server 2012 R2.




STEP 2: Configure Windows Server as a desktop operating system

Use this section as a guide to configuring Windows Server 2012 R2 as a desktop operating system for your users. This

section is not required. It is included for your convenience.

Disable Shutdown event tracker

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_an_os_layer/deploy_os_layer_create_first


The shutdown event tracker asks for the reason the system is being shut down before it allows the shutdown to continue.

To disable this feature, follow these steps.

Important: You must run the Group Policy Editor as Administrator, or it will appear as if the values are being changed, but

the Desktops will remain the same.

1. Run the group policy editor as Administrator.

1. Click Start .

2. Type gpedit.msc in the Search box.

3. Right-click gpedit.msc and choose Run as Administrator.Running the editor this way ensures that you are running it as Administrator.

2. Browse to Computer Configuration /Administrative Templates/System.

3. Scroll down to, then double-click Display Shutdown Event Tracker.4. Select Disabled and click OK.

Stop Server Manager from running automatically at logon


1. Click Start .



2. Browse to Local Computer Policy/Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/System/Server Manager.

3. Scroll down to, then double-click Do not display Server Manager automatically at logon.

4. Select Enabled and click OK.

Grant users shutdown rights

By default, only administrators will have the right to shut down or restart the machine. By following the steps below, other

users and/or groups can be granted the right to shut down the machine.




1. Click Start .



2. Browse to Computer Configuration /Windows Settings/Security Settings/Local Policies/User Rights Assignment.

3. Double click Shut down the system.

4. Click Add User or Group.

5. Click Object Types.

6. Select Groups.

7. Click OK in the Object Types dialog.


8. Type “Users” for the object name.

9. Click OK in the Select Users or Groups dialog.

10. Click OK in the Shut down the system Properties dialog.

Change the function of the Power button on the Start menu

By default, the Power button on the start menu is set to Log Off. If you would like a different setting for the desktops,

follow the steps below to change it.



Group Policy method

This method sets the button for all users and does not let individual users override the setting.


1. Click Start .



2. Browse to User Configuration /Administrative Templates/Start Menu and Taskbar.

3. Double click Change Start Menu Power Button.

4. Change the setting to Enabled.

5. Select which option to display on the start menu and click OK.

Copy Profile method

This method will set the button for all users and allow individual users to override the setting. This will only work if copy

profile is selected when creating the unattend file.

1. Right click on the task bar and select properties.

2. Click the Start Menu tab.

3. Select the desired Power button action in the drop down.

4. Click OK.

Disable IE Enhanced Security configuration

The IE Enhanced Security feature severely limits what can be done with IE with sites that are not part of the trusted sites

zone. To disable this feature, follow the steps below.

1. Open the Server Manager (right-click This PC on the start menu and select Manage).

2. Choose Local Server.3. In the Properties panel, scroll to the right to f ind IE Enhanced Security Conf iguration.

4. Select Off for both Administrators and Users.

5. Click OK. Note that the Properties panel refreshes slowly, so the change may not be visible immediately

Install .Net 3.5 feature

The .Net feature is installed by default on workstation operating systems, but not on Windows Server 2012 R2. It is a

software framework provided by Microsoft that is required for many 3rd party applications to run. To install this feature,


follow the steps below.

1. On the Start menu, right-click This PC, and select Manage.

2. Select Add Roles and Features. If this opens the Before you begin page, select Next .

3. Select Role-based or feature-based installation, then select Next .

If not already selected, select the correct local server from the server pool.

4. In the right panel, select Features.

5. Click Add Features.

6. Expand .NET Framework 3.5 Features.

7. Check .NET Framework 3.5.

8. Click Next .

9. Click Install.10. When the installation is done, click Close.

Install Desktop Experience Feature

The Desktop Experience feature includes several options that are installed by default on workstation operating systems.

These features include, among others, Themes, audio and video support, Windows Media player, and phone management.

Use these steps to install the Desktop Experience feature.

Installation

Here's how to install the Desktop Experience feature.


2. In the left panel select Features.

3. In the right panel, click Add Features.

4. Scroll down the Features list to User Interfaces and Infrastructure (2 of 3 installed), and expand that entry.

5. Check Desktop Experience.

6. If you are prompted to add features that are required by the Desktop Experience feature, click Add Required Features.

7. Click Next , and then Install.8. When the installation is done, click Close.


Enable themes

The following steps describe how to enable themes after the Desktop Experience feature is installed.

1. Click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.

2. Double click the Themes service.

3. Set Startup type to Automatic.

4. Click OK.

Assign default theme

It is possible to assign the default theme for new users by performing the following steps. Individual users will be able to

override the default theme.





1. Click Start .


3. Right-click gpedit.msc and choose Run as Administrator.Starting the editor this way ensures that you are running it as Administrator.

2. Browse to User Configuration /Administrative Templates/Control Panel/Personalization.

3. Double click Load a specif ic theme.

4. Select Enabled.

5. Enter the path to the theme file. “%windir%\Resources\Themes\aero.theme” is the path to the aero theme. More

themes can be downloaded from the Microsoft website.

6. Click OK.

Install Windows Search service

The Windows Search service is not installed by default in Windows Server 2012. Microsoft Outlook depends on this service

for searching emails. To install this service, follow the steps below.




4. In the Features list, scroll down to Windows Search Service, and select it.

5. Click Install on the Confirmation page.

6. Once the installation has completed, click Close.

Enable audio

By default, audio is not enabled. To enable audio, follow the steps below.

1. Click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.

2. Double click the Windows Audio service.


4. Click OK.

Adjust performance for programs

By default, the operating system is optimized to run background services rather than user programs. To change this, follow

the steps below.

1. On the Start menu, right click This PC and select Properties.

2. Click Advanced system settings in the left pane.

3. Click the Settings button in the Performance section.

4. Click the Advanced tab.

5. Select Programs.

6. Click OK.
















Domain Join








For information about domain join scripts,see the following Support articles:

Debugging Domain Join Problems










renamed.

Time zone


not the display setting. A list of time zone settings can be found here.



3. Click Save File.


1. In the c:\windows\setup\scripts folder, run the Optimize executable to create a .cmd file (optimization.cmd) that will be

run to optimize the image during Desktop creation.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_an_os_layer/troubleshoot_domain_join




settings.




STEP 6: Create a snapshot of the gold image

Once the gold image is ready, create a VMware snapshot of it, so that you can return to this state at any time.



STEP 7: Install the Unidesk tools onto the gold image





Prepare a Windows 2008 R2 gold image (Desktops)

STEP 1: Set up a Windows Server 2008 R2 gold image on a virtual machine




Important: If using VMware Horizon View, you must select the VMXNET 3 network adapter for the virtual machine.

Selecting the default E1000 adapter can cause customization timeout errors on the virtual machine.

3. If you are using VMware Horizon View, install Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1).

Note: If you do not install SP1, an error occurs when you try to install View Agent in the virtual machine.




STEP 2: Configure Windows Server as a desktop operating system

Use this section as a guide to configuring Windows Server 2008 R2 as a desktop operating system for your users. This

section is not required. It is included for your convenience.

Disable Shutdown event tracker

The shutdown event tracker asks for the reason the system is being shut down before it allows the shutdown to continue.

To disable this feature, follow these steps.






1. Click Start .



2. Browse to Computer Configuration /Administrative Templates/System.

3. Double click Display Shutdown Event Tracker.4. Select Disabled and click OK.

Grant users shutdown rights

By default, only administrators will have the right to shut down or restart the machine. By following the steps below, other

users and/or groups can be granted the right to shut down the machine.




1. Click Start .



2. Browse to Computer Configuration /Windows Settings/Security Settings/Local Policies/User Rights Assignment.

3. Double click Shut down the system.

4. Click Object Types.

5. Select Groups.

6. Click OK in the Object Types dialog.

7. Type “Users” for the object name.

8. Click OK in the Select Users or Groups dialog.

9. Click OK in the Shut down the system Properties dialog.

Change the function of the Power button on the Start menu

By default, the Power button on the start menu is set to Log Off. If you would like a different setting for the desktops,

follow the steps below to change it.



Group Policy method

This method sets the button for all users and does not let individual users override the setting.


1. Click Start .




2. Browse to User Configuration /Administrative Templates/Start Menu and Taskbar.

3. Double click Change Start Menu Power Button.

4. Change the setting to Enabled.

5. Select which option to display on the start menu and click OK.

Copy Profile method

This method will set the button for all users and allow individual users to override the setting. This will only work if copy

profile is selected when creating the unattend file.

1. Right click on the task bar and select properties.

2. Click the Start Menu tab.

3. Select the desired Power button action in the drop down.

4. Click OK.

Disable IE Enhanced Security configuration

The IE Enhanced Security feature severely limits what can be done with IE with sites that are not part of the trusted sites

zone. To disable this feature, follow the steps below.

1. Open the Server Manager (right click on Computer on the start menu and select Manage).

2. Under Server Summary \ Security Information of the root page, select Configure IE ESC.

3. Select Off for both Administrators and Users.

4. Click OK.

Install .Net 3.5.1 feature

The .Net feature is installed by default on workstation operating systems, but not on Windows Server 2008 R2. It is a

software framework provided by Microsoft that is required for many 3rd party applications to run. To install this feature,

follow the steps below.

1. On the Start menu, right click Computer and select Manage. This opens the Server Manager.



4. Expand .NET Framework 3.5.1 Features.

5. Check .NET Framework 3.5.1.

6. Click Next .

7. Click Install.8. When the installation is done, click Close.

Install Desktop Experience Feature

The Desktop Experience feature includes several options that are installed by default on workstation operating systems.

These features include, among others, Themes, audio and video support, Windows Media player, and phone management.

Use these steps to install the Desktop Experience feature.

Important: If you are using VMware Horizon View and you do not install the Desktop Experience feature, VMware Horizon

View HTML Blast access does not work correctly. For installation instructions, see the Microsoft TechNet article, Desktop

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc772567.aspx


Experience Overview.

Installation

Here's how to install the Desktop Experience feature.




4. Check Desktop Experience.

5. If you are prompted to add features that are required by the Desktop Experience feature, click Add Required Features.

6. Click Next , and then Install.7. When the installation is done, click Close.


9. Close the dialog after restart.

Enable themes

The following steps describe how to enable themes after the Desktop Experience feature is installed.

1. Click Start > Administrative Tools > Services.

2. Double click the Themes service.


4. Click OK.

Assign default theme

It is possible to assign the default theme for new users by performing the following steps. Individual users will be able to

override the default theme.




1. Click Start .


3. Right-click gpedit.msc and choose Run as Administrator.Starting the editor this way ensures that you are running it as Administrator.

2. Browse to User Configuration /Administrative Templates/Control Panel/Personalization.

3. Double click Load a specif ic theme.

4. Select Enabled.

5. Enter the path to the theme file. “%windir%\Resources\Themes\aero.theme” is the path to the aero theme. More

themes can be downloaded from the Microsoft website.

6. Click OK.

Enable H.264 video and AAC audio support

The Desktop Experience feature does not include support for H.264 video and AAC audio formats. You can add this

support using these steps.

1. Download the Desktop Experience Decoder Update from Microsoft (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2483177).


2. Run the downloaded installer.

3. When asked if the installation of the update is desired, click Yes.

4. Read and accept the license terms.

5. Close the dialog when installation completes.

Install Windows Search service

The Windows Search service is not installed by default in Windows Server 2008 R2. Microsoft Outlook depends on this

service for searching emails. To install this service, follow the steps below.


2. In the left panel select Roles.

3. In the right panel, click Add Roles.

4. Click Next on the Before You Begin page.

5. Select File Services on the next page and click Next .

6. Click Next on the Introduction to File Services page.

7. Select Windows Search Service on the next page.

8. Deselect File Server (unless you want to add this service).

9. Click Next .

10. On the Select Volumes to Index for Windows Search Service do not select any volumes, just click Next .

11. Click Install on the Confirmation page.

12. Click Close once the installation has completed.

Enable audio

By default, audio is not enabled. To enable audio, follow the steps below.

1. Click Start > Administrative Tools > Services.

2. Double click the Windows Audio service.


4. Click OK.

Adjust performance for programs

By default, the operating system is optimized to run background services rather than user programs. To change this, follow

the steps below.

1. On the Start menu, right click Computer and select Properties.

2. Click Advanced system settings in the left pane.

3. Click the Settings button in the Performance section.

4. Click the Advanced tab.

5. Select Programs.

6. Click OK.
















Domain Join

















renamed.

Time zone


not the display setting.



3. Click Save File.


1. In the c:\windows\setup\scripts folder, run the Optimize executable to create a .cmd file (optimize.cmd) that will be run

to optimize the image during desktop creation.


settings.


of the Optimizer script called Disable Unnecessary Services to Save Memory and CPU, deselect the option to Disable


Offline File Service, and click Save File. This is because View Persona folder redirection requires Offline files to be






STEP 7: Install the Unidesk tools onto the gold image





Prepare a Windows XP gold image

This topic explains how to prepare a gold image for the Unidesk environment. This includes:

Creating an answer f ile for unattended OS setup.

Optimizing the OS for the Unidesk environment.

Installing Unidesk tools on the image.

Use the tools included in the Unidesk Installer download to prepare a Windows 7 gold image for the Unidesk environment.

The Unidesk installation package should be downloaded to a machine that the gold image can access.

STEP 1: Set up a Windows XP gold image on a virtual machine

IMPORTANT: WindowsXP must be installed in C:\Windows. Installing the OS in C:\WINNT is not supported.






4. Install VMware Tools.

5. Shut down the gold OS.

6. Add a 1-MB virtual hard disk with Virtual Device Node set to SCSI.

1. Right-click the image and choose Edit settings.

2. Click Add, choose Hard Disk, and click Next.

3. Select Create a new virtual disk, and click Next.

4. Set the Disk Size to 1 MB, and click Next.

5. Under Advanced Options, select SCSI, and click Next.

Note: You must use the default controller (SCSI BusLogic) for the OS to be functional. Unidesk supports the LSI Logic



SAS controller type. If you subsequently change the SCSI controller type to anything else, such as VMware Paravirtual

SCSI controller, the OS Layer import will fail.

6. Click Finish, the click OK.

Note: Your boot drive will still be an IDE drive.


8. Make sure you have installed VMware Tools on the gold OS.

9. Power on the gold OS virtual machine, and in the Console tab use Windows to:

Disable Windows System Restore and Windows Automatic Updates.

Activate the operating system.

STEP 2: Mount or copy the Unidesk setup program onto a drive the gold image can access

1. Mount the Unidesk_Gold_Image_Tools ISO or copy the Unidesk_Gold_Image_Tools_x.x.x ZIP f ile onto the gold image.


3. Extract Unidesk_Gold_Image_Tools ZIP.

4. In the extracted Unidesk_Gold_Image_Tools folder, extract Unidesk_WindowsXP_Gold_Image_Tools.zip to a local

directory.

5. Copy disablesysrestore.cmd to c:\windows\system32\.

STEP 3: Create a sysprep answer file for unattended installation on a Unidesk desktop

1. From the Microsoft site, download the sysprep.cab file that matches the version of Windows XP you're using, for

example, this cab file for Windows XP SP3.

2. On your gold image, unpack the cab f ile into the c:\Sysprep folder.

3. Take a snapshot of the gold image.

4. Run c:\Sysprep\setupmgr.exe, a wizard for creating and editing the sysprep.inf f ile.

5. If you have a sysprep.inf answer file, choose Modify existing. If not, choose Create new.

6. When prompted to specify the type of setup, select Sysprep Setup, Windows XP Professional, and Yes, fullyautomate installation.

7. In the Setup Manager, choose the settings to configure on the left and enter values on the right.

General Settings:

Enter the Name and Organization.

Enter standard Display Settings that work for all of your users.

Enter your Product Key.

Network Settings:

For Computer Name you can enter a placeholder name, the Unidesk build process replaces it.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=673a1019-8e3e-4be0-ac31-70dd21b5afa7&displaylang=en

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/gold_winxp_3_answer_file.png

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/gold_winxp_1a.png




https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/gold_winxp_4_domain.png


Administrator Password can remain blank, or enter one of your choice.

For Networking Components, add the correct settings for your organization.

Set Workgroup or Domain to have the system join a domain.

Advanced Settings, Run Once:

Add c:\windows\system32\disablesysrestore.cmd - to disable system restore settings.

Add any scripts to customize the OS, for example, domain.cmd to add the system to an Organizational Unit (OU)

other than the computer's container in Active Directory.

8. Click Finish and Save. This saves the Sysprep.inf f ile to the sysprep folder.






This step installs the Unidesk software onto the gold image.

1. Run the 32-bit driver installer, setup_x86.exe, and when the Welcome screen appears, click Next. You are prompted for

the Management Appliance address.

Note: The Unidesk setup program requires a SCSI bus controller. If you did not add this setting as described in Step 1, you

receive the message shown in the screen shot below. To fix this issue, complete Step 1: 5 and 6, and the run setup again.

2. Enter the IP address for the Management Appliance (MA) you created during installation. You can see the IP address in

vSphere, by selecting the appliance and clicking the Summary tab.

3. Click Install to complete image preparation, then click Finish.

4. Shut down the gold image.

5. In vSphere, remove the SCSI driver settings:

1. Right-click the image and choose Edit settings.

2. Select the SCSI hard disk, click the Remove, button, and click OK.

3. Click Finish, the click OK.


More about preparing a Windows XP gold image

How to use the Sysprep tool to automate successful deployment of Windows XP (Microsoft website)

Sample disablesysrestore.cmd script

@rem disable the system restore service in the registry

reg add "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore" /v DisableSR /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f


https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_an_os_layer/deploy_os_gold_image_prepare#STEP1_XP

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_an_os_layer/deploy_os_gold_image_prepare#STEP1_XP



http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302577


@rem stop the service

sc stop srservice

@rem disable the system restore tab in Control Panel -> System

@rem

@rem note that the type and data of this registry value don't matter,

@rem the mere existence of this value of any type disables the System Restore tab

reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\SystemRestore" /v DisableConfig /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Sample sysprep.inf file

This sample sysprep.inf file includes a generic product key for Windows XP Professional that allows 8 days of activation.

If you are using volume licensing, enter the volume license key in the ProductKey setting.

If you are using retail licensing, use the generic product key and specify the retail key in the activate script described in the

following section.

Sample va51.cmd and va51.vbs files

For Non-persistent XP Desktops in a Unidesk environment that is integrated with VMware View 5.1 or later, a script needs

to be applied to the gold image OS Layer or OS Layer revision. Otherwise, the Desktop will have the status ‘View agent

unavailable’ and cannot connect to the View pool. Here are the steps for using these files to integrate Desktops correctly

with VMware View 5.1 or later:

1. Copy the two attached scripts into c:\Windows\System32:

va51_xp.cmd

va51_xp_.vbs

Note: The file va51_xp_.vbs will be saved as va51_xp_0.vbs. Be sure to rename it va51_xp_.vbs.

2. Edit sysprep.inf and add the following lines:

[GuiUnattended] section:

AutoLogon=Yes

AutoLogonCount=1

[GuiRunOnce] section:

"c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe /c start c:\windows\system32\va51_xp.cmd"

3. Run regedit and navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UniService


4. Add a DWORD value called "BlockReadyMessage" and set it to 1.

5. Shutdown the gold and import it, or finalize the new OS revision.

Note: If you use this same OS layer to create persistent XP desktops, when the desktop create completes, you will be

left with the Administrator user logged in. Restart these desktops before connecting with the VMware View client.

Sample va51.cmd file

Sample va51.vbs file

Customizing the sysprep.inf file

When Mini-Setup completes, you can configure sysprep to run a shell script in the Administrator context. You can use this

script to perform significant customization tasks. For example, if you want to add the machine to an OU other than the

Computers Container, you can complete the following steps to define a cmd file in the sysprep.inf file that runs a VB script

to perform this task.

In the Setup Manager wizard for the sysprep.inf file, select Advanced Settings > Run Once.

In the specified command file, add the commands that you want to run after Mini-Setup completes and the system starts

for the first time. For example, you could add the following commands to the domain.cmd file.

cscript c:\windows\system32\disablesysrestore.cmd – This command runs the disablesysrestore.cmd script, which

disables system restore on the desktop.

regedit /s c:\windows\system32\postProcess.reg – This command imports a Registry file that adds a vbs script. The vbs

script adds a user to the local Administrators group by adding an entry to the Run Once key in the Registry.

cscript c:\windows\system32\adddomain.vbs – This command runs the adddomain.vbs script, which adds the desktop to

a specified OU and reboots the system.

cscript c:\windows\system32\va51_xp.cmd (or, cscript c:\windows\system32\va51_xp.vbs) – This command runs the

va51_xp.cmd (or va51.vbs) script, which integrates Unidesk with VMware View.



Create an Operating System Layer

Jun 28 , 2017

Once you have prepared a gold image and taken a VMware snapshot of it, you can:

Create a Unidesk OS layer.

Import the gold image into the Operating System Layer

Importing the software and settings from the gold image can take approximately 45 minutes or more to complete,

depending on the size of the gold image.

To create an OS Layer and import the gold image into it:

1. Make sure the gold image is shut down.

2. In the Unidesk Management Console, click Layers > OS Layers.

3. Click Create OS Layer.

4. Complete the wizard, specifying the gold image that you just created.

1. On the Layer Details tab, enter an OS Layer name, for example, Win764sp1Gold.

2. Enter an OS Layer Version, for example NoScripts to signify that this is the base gold with no additional scripts to run

when you use this OS Layer to create a desktop.

3. Select the gold image from the drop-down that lets you choose from any gold images on your Management

Appliance (MA).

4. On the Icon Assignment tab, choose an icon for this OS Layer.

5. On the Confirm and Complete tab, verify your settings and click Create Layer.

Creating a Windows Operating System Layer can take up to 20-30 minutes to complete. When the OS layer is complete,

you can verify that it's working as planned when you create your first desktop.

Layer integrity check

When finalizing a Layer, Unidesk checks the integrity of the Layer, and waits until any Windows operations that are in

progress on the Installation Machine have completed. If the following message is displayed, one or more pending tasks on

the Installation Machine must be completed before the Layer can be finalized. Otherwise, any Layers that use this

Installation Machine would have issues.

Layer integrity message

As described in the following message, you can expedite the completion of any of these queued tasks:

The new version version-name of Layer layer-name on Installation Machine (IM) im-name can only be finalized when the

following conditions have been addressed:

A reboot is pending to update drivers on the boot disk - please check and reboot the IM.

A post-installation reboot is pending - please check and reboot the IM.

A Microsoft NGen operation is in progress in the background - (Click here for help with this condition).

An MSI install operation is in progress - please check the IM.

How to investigate Microsoft NGen operations

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_desktops/deploy_desktop_create_first

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_an_os_layer/deploy_os_layer_create_first#Complete_MS_NGen_Operations


NGen is the Microsoft "Native Image Generator". It is part of the .NET system, and basically recompiles .NET byte code into

native images and constructs the registry entries to manage them. Windows will decide when to run NGen, based on what

is being installed and what Windows detects in the configuration. When NGen is running, you must let it complete. An

interrupted NGen operation can leave you with nonfunctioning .NET assemblies or other problems in the .NET system.

You have the choice of waiting for the NGen to complete in the background or you can force the NGen to the foreground.

Forcing the NGen to the foreground will allow you to view the progress and once the output has completed you should be

able to finalize the layer.

Force an NGen operation to the foreground

Normally, NGen is a background operation and will pause if there is foreground activity. Bringing the task into the

foreground can help the task to complete as quickly as possible.

1. Open a command prompt as Administrator.

2. Go to the Microsoft .NET Framework directory for the version currently in use:

cd C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\FrameworkNN\vX.X.XXXXX

3. Enter the NGen command to execute the queued items:

ngen update /force

This brings the NGen task to the foreground in the command prompt, and lists the assemblies being compiled.

Note: It ’s okay if you see several compilation failed messages!

4. Look in the Task Manager to see if an instance of MSCORSVW.EXE is running. If it is, you must allow it to complete,or

re-run ngen update /force. Do not reboot to stop the task. You must allow it to complete.

Check the status of an NGen operation

If you would prefer to wait for the NGen to complete you can check the status as described here. However, every time you

check the queue status, you are creating foreground activity, which might cause the background processing to temporarily

pause.


2. Check status by running this command:

ngen queue status

3. When you receive the following status, the NGen is complete, and you can finalize the Layer.

The .NET Runtime Optimization Service is stopped


Create a Desktop to verify the OS Layer

Jun 28 , 2017

A Desktop is a virtual machine that you can deploy to a user. It contains an operating system, virtual machine settings, and

any applications you deploy to it.

By creating a Desktop, you can verify that your Operating System Layer is in good working order. You can then use this

tested Layer to create the Application Layers your users need. Application Layers are compatible with only one Operating

System Layer (and all of its Layer Versions).

Before creating the Operating System Layer, be sure to prepare your gold image for the Unidesk environment. For a video

overview, click here.

Create the Desktop

Create your first Unidesk Desktop

1. In the Unidesk menu bar select Desktops , then click Create Desktop in the Action bar. This opens the Create Desktop

wizard with the available templates displayed.

2. (Optional) In the Template Selection tab, you can select a template. The User Assignment wizard tab is displayed.

Versions).

3. In the User Assignment tab, specify the user or group to assign to the Desktop.

Note: If you choose a group, it must not be empty.

1. Leave Broker Integration set to None, unless you have integrated with one of the supported connection brokers,

VMware View or XenDesktop.

2. Select Assigned to User, and choose the user you specif ied when preparing the gold image.

Notice your choices displayed in the Desktop Visualization panel to the right.

4. In the Desktop Details tab, enter a name for the Desktop and choose the network.

1. Choose a cluster or server on which to host the Desktop.

2. Enter a name for the Desktop.

3. Enter a description of the Desktop (optional).

4. Select a network in the virtual infrastructure to which the Desktop will connect.

5. Specify the type of Desktop that you want to create: persistent or nonpersistent. A persistent Desktop maintains all

of a user's changes in the User Layer. A nonpersistent Desktop discards its User Layer and reverts to a pristine backup

every time it restarts.

5. In the OS Assignment tab, select the Operating System (OS) layer.

6. In the Desktop Settings tab, choose a value for each field.

7. In the Confirm and Complete tab, confirm that the settings are correct (in the Desktop Visualization panel to the right),

and click Create Desktops to start creating the Desktop.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_an_os_layer/deploy_os_gold_image_prepare

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/get_started_deploying_unidesk/deploy_unidesk_deployment_overview


A Desktop icon appears, its status displayed in the lower right corner of the icon. The Desktop status cycles through

Stopped, Powering on, Starting, and Running. For more status information, click the Expander tab in the bottom center

of the console to open the Tasks panel.

Verify the Desktop

After you create a Desktop, log in to the Desktop using the account you created in the gold OS.

To log in to the Desktop:

1. Using either a vSphere Client or an RDP session, log into the Desktop.

Note: If you need the IP address assigned to the Desktop, hover over the Desktop icon and click the information

indicator (i). This displays the IP Address assigned to the Desktop.

The first time someone logs into a Desktop, the Desktop composite is created. This takes longer than a typical login.

To create Application layers that you can give to the different Desktops you create, see Creating an Application Layer.

If Desktop startup times seem slow on Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, please see the tips for deploying Windows on that

platform.

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/test_desktop_25_70.png

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_application_layers/deploy_app_layer_create

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_an_os_layer/deploy_os_gold_image_prepare



Jun 28 , 2017

An Installation Machine is a virtual machine that acts as a staging area for the creation of Layers and new Layer Versions.

You need an Installation Machine to create an Application Layer, a new Version of an Application Layer, or an Operating

System Layer Version. The Master CachePoint Appliance hosts all Installation Machines.

About Installation Machines

When to use an Installation Machine

You'll need an Installation Machine whenever you want to create a new Application Layer or when you add a new Version

to an existing Application or Operating System Layer. You do not need an Installation Machine for the initial creation of an

Operating System Layer, just for any Versions you add to it. Here's how to use an Installation Machine when creating a

Layer or Layer Version.

The role of an Installation Machine in Layer creation

Before you start, you need to have created a Unidesk Operating System Layer with your gold image on it. Then you:

Create an

Installation

Machine

Do the initial creation of the Installation Machine using the Unidesk Management Console.

Note: The operating system you associate with this virtual machine is for vSphere's use and it is

not yet bootable. This is not the OS on which the Applications for the Unidesk Layer will be

installed.

Create an

Application Layer,

or a new version

of an Application

or OS Layer

Create an Application Layer, selecting an Operating System Layer and Installation Machine. The

Unidesk software boots the Installation Machine VM with the selected Operating System.

Note: If you are adding a version to an operating system, the Unidesk software installs the

operating system that matches the one referenced in the Operating System Layer automatically.

Install applications

on the Installation

Machine

After the Unidesk software boots the Installation Machine, the software prompts you to install

applications on the Installation Machine. You log in to the Installation Machine (using your virtual

infrastructure management software or a remote desktop connection) and install the applications

or OS update for the Layer or Layer Version you are creating.

Finalize the Layer

or new Layer

Version

Finalize the layer. You select the Layer and the software creates the application image and adds it

to the layer. It also shuts down the Installation Machine. The Installation Machine is powered off

and returns to a non-bootable state.

Before you start

Determine the configuration for memory, CPUs, and network adapters based on the applications that you plan to use with


the Installation Machine.

Choose an Operating System type that matches the type of at least one of the Operating System layers that you will be

using in the Unidesk environment. For example, if you plan to create Application Layers that require two CPUs, ensure you

provision an Installation Machine with this setting. If you plan on using 64-bit Windows 7 only, be sure to select that as the

Operating System type for all of your Installation Machines.

Create the Installation Machine (IM)

You cannot change the virtual machine settings after you create the Installation Machine. This includes the Operating

System type, so you must create at least one Installation Machine for each type of Operating System that you are using.

1. Select System > Installation Machine

2. Select Create Installation Machine in the Action bar. This opens the Create Installation Machine wizard.

3. In the Desktop Information tab, specify the virtual machine settings for the Installation Machine, including:

Name for the

Installation Machine

The Installation Machine name (IM Name) should be 15 characters or less, and unique on

the Master CachePoint Appliance.

Operating system type vSphere will use to power this virtual machine.

Memory Amount of memory (in megabytes) to allocate to the Installation Machine.

Virtual CPUs Number of virtual CPUs to allocate to the Installation Machine.

4. In the Confirm and Complete tab, optionally, enter a comment that describes the Installation Machine, and click Create

Installation Machine.If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.



Jun 28 , 2017

An Application Layer includes one or more applications that you can assign to a desktop.

About creating an Application Layer

Before you start, you need to have created a Unidesk Operating System Layer with your gold image on it. Then you:

Create an

Installation

Machine

Do the initial creation of the Installation Machine using the Unidesk Management Console.

Note: The operating system you associate with this virtual machine is for vSphere's use and it is

not yet bootable. This is not the OS on which the Applications for the Unidesk Layer will be

installed.

Create an

Application Layer,

or a new version

of an Application

or OS Layer

Create an Application Layer, selecting an Operating System Layer and Installation Machine. The

Unidesk software boots the Installation Machine VM with the selected Operating System.

Note: If you are adding a version to an operating system, the Unidesk software installs the

operating system that matches the one referenced in the Operating System Layer automatically.

Install applications

on the Installation

Machine

After the Unidesk software boots the Installation Machine, the software prompts you to install

applications on the Installation Machine. You log in to the Installation Machine (using your virtual

infrastructure management software or a remote desktop connection) and install the applications

or OS update for the Layer or Layer Version you are creating.

Finalize the Layer

or new Layer

Version

Finalize the layer. You select the Layer and the software creates the application image and adds it

to the layer. It also shuts down the Installation Machine. The Installation Machine is powered off

and returns to a non-bootable state.

Before you start

Application Layer requirements

To create an Application Layer, you need:

Installation software for the application(s) you're including in the Layer.

An available Installation Machine.

Any prerequisite Application Layers.

Special considerations for Windows 8.1 Applications

To deliver applications on Windows 8.1 via Unidesk Layers, you need to build the applications so they can be centrally

managed. This is because Windows Store Apps are managed via each user's profile and can only be deployed to one user.

Regular Windows Store apps, like Bing Finance and Weather, cannot be sideloaded or layered. You can, however, deliver

centrally managed applications on Windows 8.1 by sideloading Enterprise applications, also called Line of Business (LoB)

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/deploy_im_create


applications. For details, please see Sideloading Line of Business applications.

Create an Application layer

1. Select Layers > Application Layersand select Create Layer in the Action bar. This opens the Create Layer wizard.

2. In the Layer Details tab, specify the details that describe the layer.

1. Enter a name for the Application Layer.

2. Optionally, enter a description of the layer

3. Enter a version. The version can be the version of the application or a version you assign to the layer.

Note: The Unidesk Management Console displays the information in the details view of the layer.

4. Optionally, enter a description of the version.

5. Optionally, enter the path for a custom script that runs once after the desktop restarts.

6. Specify the default size for the layer, in gigabytes. In most cases, the default value of 10 gigabytes is sufficient. If the

application you are installing requires more space, change this value accordingly.

Note: Each 4 gigabytes of storage that you add uses an additional 512 kilobytes of memory. Make sure that the

Installation Machine you select is configured appropriately to accommodate the memory requirements.

3. In the Installation Machine Details tab, specify the operating system and the Installation Machine. The Application Layer

becomes associated with the Operating System Layer that you use to create it. .

1. Select an Operating System Layer. The layer defaults to the most current version. To select an earlier version, you can

expand the layer to display all versions.

2. Select an Installation Machine

4. In the Prerequisite Layers tab, select one or more layers from the displayed list, if required. Only applications created from

the specified Operating System Layer are available.

1. Select an Application Layer in the Prerequisite Layers box.

2. Select the version of the Application Layer in the Application Details box.

3. Click Add Layer5. In the Icon Assignment tab, select an icon to assign to the layer. This layer displays this image in the Icon and List views

of the Layers Module.

To use an existing image, select an image in the image box.

To import a new image, click Browse and select an image in PNG or JPG format. For additional information about

uploaded images, see the article about how to Assign icons.

6. In the Confirm and Complete tab, review the details of the Application Layer, enter a comment if required, and click

Create Layer.If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.

7. When prompted to do so in the Tasks bar, install the application and the prerequisite applications on the Installation

Machine.

Install the application(s) on the Installation Machine

During the creation process for Application Layers, the software prompts you to install the applications you want to use in

the Layer on the selected Installation Machine. Keep in mind that the state of the Installation Machine before you finalize

a layer is what users experience when they access the desktop.

To install the applications on the Installation Machine:

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_application_layers/deploy_apps_win8.1

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_desktops_and_templates/admin_icon_assign


1. Log in to the Installation Machine.

2. Install the applications, along with any drivers, boot-level applications, templates, or files that the user wil need with it.

If an application installation requires a system restart, restart it manually. The Installation Machine does not restart

automatically.

3. Make sure the Installation Machine is in the state you want it to be for the user:

If the applications you install require any post-installation setup or application registration, complete these steps now.

Remove any settings, configurations, f iles, mapped drives, or applications that you do not want to include on the user's

desktop.

Finalize the Application Layer

It is not necessary to log off or disconnect from the Installation Machine before you finalize the Application Layer. During

the finalization step, the software will shut down the Installation Machine properly.

After installing the applications on the Installation Machine, complete the following steps:

1. Return to the Unidesk Management Console

2. Select the Application Layer in the Layers module.

3. Select Finalize.

4. Monitor the Task bar to verify that the action completes successfully and that the Application Layer is deployable.

Layer integrity check



















https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_application_layers/deploy_app_layer_create#Complete_MS_NGen_Operations











ngen update /force


Note: It ’s okay if you see several compilation failed messages!






pause.



ngen queue status



Considerations

About setting a script to run the first time the user logs in

When you create a Layer or Layer Version, you can specify a script, called a Run Once script, to run the first time a user logs

in after the Desktop starts (restarts). For example, you can use a Run Once script to complete the setup for an application.

A Run Once script is a .cmd or .bat file installed on the Installation Machine.

User permissions - When an Application Layer that has a Run Once script runs for the first time, Microsoft Windows

attempts to delete the RunOnce key before running the script. The Desktop user must have the rights to delete the

RunOnce key, or the script doesn't run. If you need a Run Once script to be run by any user, set the permissions on the


Run Once folder accordingly. For details, see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314866.

New Layer Versions - When you create a new Layer Version, the new Version does not inherit the script from the

original Layer. If you want to include the script from the original Layer, you need to set the Run Once script for the Layer

Version.

RunOnce registry key - When a Run Once script runs on a Desktop, the operating system adds an entry to the

Desktop's RunOnce registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

How to set a Run Once script

How to set a Run Once script to run more than once



Use Open Console to log in

Jun 28 , 2017

For quick access to desktops, Installation Machines, Operating System Layers, or Application Layers, you can launch an

Open Console window from the Unidesk Management Console. The Unidesk Management Console uses Remote Desktop

Protocol (RDP) to open an Open Console window for the Desktop or Installation Machine you specify. If you access an

Operating System or Application Layer, the console connects to the virtual machine for the appropriate Installation

Machine.

Prerequisites

Before you can use the Open Console feature, the remote machine must meet the following requirements.

Prerequisite Description

Remote Access

enabled

The gold image for the desktop or Installation Machine must have Remote Access enabled:

In the System Properties dialog box, under Remote Desktop, click one of the options to allow

connections from other computers, and then click OK

Virtual machine

operational

Whether accessing a Desktop, Installation Machine, or a layer, you will ultimately connect to a

Desktop or Installation Machine, and it must be in one of these states:

In Use — The Desktop is in use by a Unidesk user.

Running — The Desktop is ready for use.

Use Open Console to access Unidesk Desktops, Layers, and Installation Machines

The following table explains how to use Open Console to access a Desktop, Installation Machine, Operating System Layer,

or Application Layer.

1. Access Open Console:

For... Use...

Desktop Desktops > Open Console

Installation Machine System > Installation Machines > Open Console

Operating System Layer's Installation Machine Layers > Operating System Layer > Open Console

Application Layer's Installation Machine Layers > Application Layer > Open Console

2. Depending on your Web browser settings, you might need to change the security settings to proceed.


3. In the Open Console window, enter your login credentials for the desktop or Installation Machine. This opens the

console window.


Assign an App Layer to Desktops

Jun 28 , 2017

A Desktop includes the applications that users require for their work. The Unidesk Management Console lets you add,

remove, or reinstall applications on deployable Desktops.

Before you start

Check the Layers module to make sure that the required Application Layers are available.

Assign applications

1. Select Desktops and select one or more desktops.

2. Select Edit Desktops. This opens the Edit Desktop wizard.

3. In the Application Assignment tab, select one or more applications from the Available Layers list to add it to the

desktop. By default, the software selects the most recent version. To add or remove a specif ic version, complete the

following steps:

1. Expand an application to view the available versions.

2. Select the box next to a version you want to use.

3. Clear the box next to a version that you want to remove.

4. If you want to reinstall a previously-assigned application, select Reinstall.

4. In the Maintenance Schedule tab, select a method for deployment of the configuration changes. You can deploy them

in any of the following ways:

Select or create a maintenance schedule. A maintenance schedule deploys changes during a specif ied time frame.

As soon as possible. This option deploys the configuration changes after you shut down the desktops. Selecting this

option overrides the current maintenance schedule.

Defer deployment until a specif ied date and time. This option defers deployment of configuration changes until the

specif ied time elapses. At that time, Unidesk deploys the configuration changes if the desktops are shut down.

Selecting this option overrides the current maintenance schedule.

When the user logs out or reboots the desktop. This option defers deployment util the user logs out or reboots

the desktop.

5. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the application assignment details are correct, and click Update Desktop.

Unidesk deploys the configuration changes as specified by your Maintenance Schedule selection.


Deploy anti-virus software

Jun 28 , 2017

You can deploy some of the most commonly-used anti-virus products in a Unidesk environment, including products from

Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro, Sophos, Kaspersky, and AVG.

General Guidelines

Anti-virus software update options

When deploying anti-virus software in a Unidesk layer, one of the considerations is how to handle the anti-virus updates.

You can either:

Turn on auto updates, and let the updates get stored in the user's Personalization Layer. If auto updates happen daily,

this might be the most convenient approach. Note that whenever there is a major product update, you'll need to reinstall

on the UEP by redeploying the layer to the desktop with the Reinstall the layer checkbox selected.

Turn off auto updates, and redeploy the layer for each update. This requires updating the layer whenever you want to

push out new updates.

We generally recommend using the method with which you're most comfortable. This probably means continuing to do

whatever you've been doing.

Before you start

When deploying any anti-virus software package in the Unidesk environment, you may need to:

Start the Remote Registry Service for any of the remote installations.

Disable the f irewall on the desktop before installing to allow the products to install.

Disable Simple File sharing.

Enable/disable User Account Control (UAC).

Read the installation instructions for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) deployments on the web site for the product

you are installing.

AVG software

About deploying AVG in a Unidesk environment

You can use a gold image or an Application Layer to deploy the AVG Business Edition anti-virus software in the Unidesk

environment.

Deployment methods

Use either of the following methods to deploy the AVG anti-virus software:

Install the software on a gold image and import it to a new Operating System Layer.

Install the software on an Application Layer and assign the layer to new or existing desktops.

Tested versions

The following version of AVG anti-virus software has been tested:

AVG 2013 Business Edition.


Install the software on a gold image

To deploy AVG software on a gold image:

1. If using Windows XP, stop all Citrix applications.

2. Install the AVG software on the gold image.

3. Open the AVG application and select AVG Settings Manager.

4. Select Edit AVG Settings.

5. Select System Services, and disable all AVG Services.

6. Select AVG Advanced Settings, Anti-Virus, Cache Server, and disable file caching.

7. Delete cache files:

On Windows 7, delete the following files:

C:\ProgramData\AVG2013\Chjw\*.*

On Windows XP, delete the following files:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AVG2013\Chjw\*.*

8. Enable all the AVG Services again.


10. Create an Operating System Layer using this gold image.

11. On newly deployed desktops, it is recommended that you enable the Caching option again. You can do this

automatically through integration with AVG Remote Administrator.

Install the software on an Application Layer

1. If using Windows XP, stop all Citrix applications.

2. Install the AVG software on the Application Layer.

3. Deploy the AVG layer to desktops.

Issues with AVG in the Unidesk environment

When AVG is deployed as an Application Layer on Windows XP, SSL detection is not immediate. To workaround this issue,

you can either install AVG on the gold image, or enable the Scan files on close option.

To enable the Scan files on close option:

1. Open Advanced settings (F8).

2. Select Antivirus > Resident Shield.

3. Select the Scan f iles on close option, and save the setting.

Kaspersky anti-virus software

About deploying Kaspersky software in a Unidesk environment


This section provides Kaspersky installation information that is specific to the Unidesk environment. See the Kaspersky

documentation for additional instructions about deploying the software in a VDI environment. And, for details about using

Kaspersky for non-persistent desktops in a VDI environment, please read the section on Dynamic VDI Support in this

Kaspersky article.

Deployment methods

Use the following methods to deploy the Kaspersky anti-virus software:

Install the software on an Application Layer or Application Layer revision.

Install the software on the gold image you import into an Operating System Layer.

Install the software on an Operating System Layer revision.

Tested versions

The following versions of Kaspersky Anti-Virus software have been tested.

Kaspersky Endpoint Security 10.1.0.867(a) (Windows 7 only; Kaspersky 10.1 does not support Windows XP).

Note: See the special Kaspersky 10.1 requirement below (applies to version 10.1 only).

Kaspersky Endpoint Security 10.2 (Windows 7 only; Kaspersky 10.2 does not support Windows XP).

Note: Encryption with Kaspersky 10.2 is not supported. Kaspersky 10.2 Encryption uses a form of disk virtualization that

bypasses the Unidesk virtualization, and as such is incompatible with Unidesk. When deploying Kaspersky 10.2 make sure

to deselect the Encryption options before deploying the application.

Kaspersky Administration Server version 8.0.2163.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Windows Workstations, version 6.0.4.1424.

Requirements

If you plan to use a new Operating System Layer to deploy the Kaspersky software, install the software on the gold

image BEFORE you install the Unidesk Tools.

If you plan to use the Kaspersky Administration Server to manage the desktop, install both Kaspersky Anti-Virus for

Workstations and Kaspersky NetAgent on the Installation Machine (for Application Layers or layer revisions) or on a gold

image (for a new Operating System Layer).

If you do not plan to use the Kaspersky Administration Server, install Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Workstations only on the

Installation Machine or the gold image.

When you install the Kaspersky NetAgent, clear the selection for the start application during install option.

When you install the Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Workstations in a stand-alone configuration, do not enable password

protection for any of the administrative options. The password you enter on the Installation Machine or gold image

does not work on the desktop after you deploy the software.

After you install the Kaspersky software on an Installation Machine (for Application Layers or layer revisions), a system

restart (and desktop image rebuild) is required.

Kaspersky 10.1 special requirement

Before adding Kaspersky 10.1 to either the gold image or to a layer, you need to add a value to the Unifltr service in the

registry. Here's how:

1. Run regedit.

http://forum.kaspersky.com/index.php?showtopic=219309

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_application_layers/deploy_av_deploy#Kaspersk


2. Navigate to the HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Unif ltr key.

3. Right click in the right hand pane and a DWORD value.

4. Set the name of the value to MiniFilterBypass.

5. Set the value to 1.

6. Exit regedit.

7. Reboot the machine, as the setting is only read at boot time.

Special steps for installing the software on an Application Layer

Complete the following steps when you install the Kaspersky software on an Application Layer:

1. Install the Kaspersky software on the Installation Machine.

Note: If you will be deploying non-persistent desktops running Kaspersky, you need to mark the image as a Dynamic VDI

so that the Kaspersky Administration Server considers the clones of this image dynamic, and when a clone is turned off,

its information is automatically deleted from the database. To mark the image of a dynamic VDI, install the Kaspersky

Network Agent with the Enable dynamic mode for VDI parameter enabled. For details, see the section of this article

on Dynamic VDI Support.

2. Restart the Installation Machine using the vSphere client.

When you restart the Installation Machine, it might display the STOP message 0x75640001 several times. The

Installation Machine will then restart normally; no intervention is necessary. When you deploy this layer, the desktops

restart normally and do not display the STOP message.

3. Finalize the layer in the usual way.

If you assign the Application Layer with the Kaspersky software to a desktop when you create it, the Kaspersky NetAgent

might not start the first time a user logs in to the desktop. Restart the desktop to start the NetAgent software.

Possible issues

Kaspersky interoperability with Unidesk

The following interoperability issues can occur on Unidesk desktops that have Kaspersky anti-virus software installed.

Kasperky NetAgent startup

If you use an Application Layer to deploy the Kaspersky NetAgent software to a desktop, the NetAgent software might

not start the first time the desktops restarts. When this occurs, the Windows Event Viewer might display the following

error:

#1266 (0) Transport level error while connection to : authentication failure

If the NetAgent software doesn't start, restart the desktop. The NetAgent software should start properly at that time.

Kasperky 10 - End-user Pause causes Network Attack Blocker to stop working

When using Kaspersky 10, the end-user Pause causes the Network Attack Blocker to stop working. To fix this issue, restart

the Kaspersky software. The Network Attack Blocker will continue running as expected.

McAfee anti-virus software

About deploying McAfee in a Unidesk environment

http://forum.kaspersky.com/index.php?showtopic=219309


The following procedures describe how to use an Operating System Layer or an Application Layer to deploy the McAfee

anti-virus software in a Unidesk environment. These procedures are based on the McAfee Product Guides.

You can find McAfee documentation at the following locations:

ePolicy Orchestrator 4.5: https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=KB65897

ePolicy Orchestrator 4.6: https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=KB71037

Deployment method

Use either of the following methods to deploy the McAfee anti-virus software:

Install the software on a gold image that you import into an Operating System Layer.

Install the software on an OS Layer version.


Tested versions

The following versions of McAfee anti-virus software have been tested:

ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO), version 4.6, 5.3.

McAfee Agent, version 4.5.0.1810, 5.0.2.188.

VirusScan Enterprise, version 8.8.0.777, 8.8.0.1445.

Notes: The ePolicy Orchestrator server was used to create the McAfee Agent installation package, as described in

"Creating custom agent installation packages" in the McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator Product Guide.

The ePolicy Orchestrator server was used to create the McAfee Agent installation package, as described in "Creating

custom agent installation packages" in the McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator Product Guide.

For ePO 5.3.1, - The Agent Contact Method priority should be set to 1 - IP Address 2 - FQDN 3 - NetBIOS Name to

communicate correctly with IM in workgroup and the 'Enable self protection' for the McAfee Agent policy should be

unchecked.

VirusScan Enterprise, version 8.8.0.1247, 8.8.0.1445.

Installation requirements

The requirements for installing the McAfee anti-virus software in a Unidesk gold image or Application Layer are the same as

those for Including the agent on an image outlined in the McAfee ePO product guide.

Depending on the McAfee version, you might need to remove the Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) for the McAfee Agent

after you install it . Refer to the McAfee documentation for the version of the software you are using to determine if this

step is recommended or required.


Use this procedure if you plan to use an Operating System Layer to deploy the McAfee anti-virus software on Unidesk

desktops.

1. Install the McAfee Agent software on the gold image. The gold image becomes visible in the ePolicy Orchestrator

System Tree systems list.


2. Install the McAfee VirusScan Enterprise software on the gold image:

1. When prompted to remove Windows Defender, click Yes.

2. Allow the McAfee Agent Updater to complete an update. This step can take several minutes to complete.

3. Click Finish to complete the installation.

3. When the installation completes, the first scan begins. Allow the scan to complete.

4. Change the McAfee Start value:

1. Open the McAfee VirusScan Console, and disable the AccessProtection.

2. Open the registry editor (regedit), go to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\mfehidk], and

change the Start value from 0 to a 1.

3. Back in the McAfee VirusScan Console, re-enable the AccessProtection.

5. If McAfee requires it for your VDI setup, remove the GUID for the Agent (check the McAfee documentation to

determine if this step is necessary):

1. Open the registry editor (regedit).

2. Locate the following registry key and delete it:

32-bit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Network Associates\ePolicy Orchestrator\Agent\AgentGUID

64-bit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WoW6432Node\Network Associates\ePolicy

Orchestrator\Agent\AgentGUID

6. When prompted to do so, restart the gold image to allow McAfee to install its drivers.

7. Shut down the gold image and import it in to an Operating System Layer.


Use this procedure if you plan to use a layer to deploy the McAfee anti-virus software on Unidesk desktops.

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, complete the Create Layer wizard.

2. If you are layering McAfee on the Windows 8.1 OS, turn off Windows Defender.

3. When prompted to install the software, install the McAfee Agent software on the Installation Machine. After this

installation completes, the Installation Machine is visible in the ePolicy Orchestrator System Tree systems list.

4. Install the McAfee VirusScan Enterprise (VSE) software on the Installation Machine.

1. If prompted to remove Windows Defender, click Yes.

2. If layering McAfee on Windows 8.1, re-install the VSE software on the Installation Machine using f iles from the

McAfee EPO server. Otherwise, allow the McAfee Agent Updater to complete an update. This step can take several

minutes to complete.

3. Click Finish to complete the installation.

5. Change the McAfee Start value:

1. Open the McAfee VirusScan Console, and disable the AccessProtection.

2. Open the registry editor (regedit), go to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\mfehidk], and

change the Start value from 0 to a 1.

3. Back in the McAfee VirusScan Console, re-enable the AccessProtection.


6. If McAfee requires it for your VDI setup, remove the GUID for the Agent (check the McAfee documentation to

determine if this step is necessary):

1. Open the registry editor (regedit).

2. Locate the following registry key and delete it:

32-bit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Network Associates\ePolicy Orchestrator\Agent\AgentGUID

64-bit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WoW6432Node\Network Associates\ePolicy

Orchestrator\Agent\AgentGUID

7.

8. Finalize the Application Layer and deploy the layer in the usual way.

Possible interoperability issues

The following interoperability issues can occur on Unidesk desktops that have McAfee anti-virus software installed.

Delays in opening video files

If the McAfee anti-virus software on a Unidesk desktop is configured to scan script files, you can experience long delays

when you try to open video files in the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser.

When you try to open these files, the McAfee software and Unidesk try to perform operations on these files at the same

time. This conflict causes a delay in running the video file. All other windows and applications continue to function normally.

If you encounter this type of delay, wait for the video file to run. Eventually, the McAfee operation times out and the

Unidesk operation completes.

This issue has no affect on the ability of the anti-virus software to check the video files for viruses.

Desktops with McAfee layer are not visible from ePolicy Orchestrator

If desktops with a McAfee layer are not visible from ePolicy Orchestrator, you can fix the issue by using the steps outlined

in the following McAfee knowledge base article:

https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=KB56086

McAfee MOVE AntiVirus software

About deploying McAfee MOVE AntiVirus software in a Unidesk environment

The following procedures describe how to deploy the McAfee MOVE AntiVirus software in a Unidesk environment.

Note: These instructions assume that you have installed and configured McAfee MOVE AntiVirus software on McAfee

ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO).

Deployment method

Use the following method to deploy the McAfee MOVE AntiVirus software.

Install the software on an Application Layer and assign the layer to existing desktops.

Tested versions

The following versions of McAfee MOVE AntiVirus software have been tested:


McAfee Agent for Windows, version 4.8.0.1938

McAfee AV MOVE Multi-Platform client, version 3.6.0.347

McAfee VirusScan Enterprise, version 8.8.0.1247

McAfee AV MOVE Multi-Platform Offload Scan Server, version 3.6.0.347

McAfee VirusScan Enterprise, version 8.8.0.1445

McAfee AV MOVE Multi-Platform Offload Scan Server, version 3.6.1.141

Note: The McAfee Agent does not start for RDS sessions.


Ensure that the following condition is met before deploying McAfee MOVE AntiVirus software.

For Windows 7 and 8.1: Windows Defender is turned off .

Create a McAfee Agent MOVE AV CLIENT Application layer

Use these steps to create a McAfee Agent MOVE AV CLIENT Application layer in Unidesk.

1. In the Unidesk Management Console (UMC), select Layers > Application Layer > Create Layer. The Create Layer Wizard

appears.

2. Complete the Create Layer Wizard and click Create Layer on the Confirm and Complete tab.

3. View the current tasks in the UMC. At f irst, the Create Application Layer <layer_name> task has a "Running" status.

When the status of the Create Application Layer <layer_name> task changes to 'Action Required', log in to the

Installation Machine (IM) as Administrator.

4. Push the McAfee Agent software to the IM using the McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator. The IM becomes visible in the ePO

System Tree list and the McAfee icon appears in the taskbar of the IM.

5. Use the Product Deployment task on the ePO to install the McAfee MOVE AV [Multi-Platform] Client on the IM.

6. Restart the IM and log in to it again as Administrator.

7. On the IM, delete the value for the registry key named AgentGUID from one of the following locations, depending on

your Windows operating system:

1. 32-bit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Network Associates\ePolicy Orchestrator\Agent

2. 64-bit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Network Associates\ePolicy Orchestrator\Agent

8. Shut down the IM.

9. Finalize the Application layer.

Microsoft Security Essentials

About deploying Microsoft Security Essentials in a Unidesk environment

The following procedures describe how to use an Operating System Layer or an Application Layer to deploy the Microsoft

Security Essentials anti-virus software in a Unidesk environment.

Deployment method

Use one of the following methods to deploy the Microsoft Security Essentials anti-virus software:

Install the software on a gold image that you import into an Operating System Layer.

Install the software on an OS Layer Version.

Install the software on an Application Layer.

Tested versions


The following version of Microsoft Security Essentials anti-virus software has been tested:

Microsoft Security Essentials 2012

Antimalware Client Version: 4.2.223.0

Engine Version: 1.1.9901.0

Antivirus definition: 1.159.324.0

Antispyware definition: 1.159.324.0

Network Inspection System Engine Version: 2.1.9900.0

Network Inspection System Definition Version: 108.1.0.0


The Microsoft Security Essentials anti-virus software in a Unidesk gold image, Operating System Layer Version, or

Application Layer.

You must enable the Windows Update service, but do not use the windows updates themselves. The updates themselvesmust remain disabled.

Configure Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows 7 on a Unidesk Layer Version

Use these steps to configure Microsoft Security Essentials on Windows 7 (32- or 64-bit). For Windows XP, these steps are

not required.

By default, the Windows Update service is disabled by the Unidesk Optimization scripts, so to correctly deploy Microsoft

Security Essentials as either an Operating System or Application Layer on Windows 7, you must do the following.

1. Create a new Operating System or Application Layer version.

2. Go to C:\windows\setup\scripts and re-run the Unidesk Optimization Script Builder (if it was deleted, download it again).

3. In the Unidesk Optimization Script Builder, deselect Disable Windows Update Service.

4. Finalize the Layer.

The Update service startup type will change from Disabled to Manual. Windows updates will not be enable, which is a

Unidesk requirement.

During installation, check services.msc and make sure that the Windows Update Service startup type is set to Manual. Ifit’s not, changethe Windows Update Service startup type to Manual and restart Windows.

Troubleshooting failed Microsoft Windows Essentials updates

If the Microsoft Security Essentials update fails on a Desktop because Windows updates are turned off, try the following.

Unless you have disabled Windows Updates using the Local Group Policy Editor, turn Windows Updates on using the

Control Panel. This allows Microsoft Security Essentials to update on the Desktop.

If you disabled Windows Updates using the Local Group Policy Editor, you need to:

1. Run regedit and remove the Local Group Policy.

2. Reboot the machine.

3. Enable Windows Updates from Control Panel.

Sophos Cloud Anti-Virus - All supported Operating Systems

Before you start


Create and activate your Sophos Cloud account, as described in the Sophos documentation:

https://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/cloud.aspx

Install the Sophos Cloud software on a new version of the Operating System Layer

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, select Layers > OS Layers > Add Version.

2. When the task status changes to Action Required, prepare your Installation Machine (IM) according to the General

Guidelines for deploying anti-virus software (at the top of this topic).

3. Join the Installation Machine to the domain.

Note: The Sophos installer creates Groups and puts users to them, so the Installation Machine must be in the domain.

4. On the Installation Machine, log into your Sophos Cloud console (https://cloud.sophos.com/login ).

5. Download SophosInstall.exe from your Sophos Cloud account.

Important: Do not use the emailed installer for this installation.

6. Install the Sophos Cloud software onto the Installation Machine.

7. When the task to install Sophos has completed (or indicates that an Action is required), restart the Installation Machine.

8. In your Sophos Cloud console, click Reports > Events and ensure that the computer is managed in Sophos Cloud and

up-to-date before continuing.

9. Stop and disable the following Windows services:

Sophos MCS Client

Sophos MCS Agent

10. Delete the following f iles:

Windows 7 | Windows 8.1 | Windows Server 2008 R2

C:\ProgramData\Sophos\Management Communications System\Endpoint\Persist\Credentials

C:\ProgramData\Sophos\Management Communications System\Endpoint\Persist\EndpointIdentity.txt

C:\ProgramData\Sophos\Management Communications System\Endpoint\Persist*.xml

C:\ProgramData\Sophos\AutoUpdate\data\machine_ID

Windows XP

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Sophos\Management Communications

System\Endpoint\Persist\Credentials


System\Endpoint\Persist\EndpointIdentity.txt


System\Endpoint\Persist\Persist*.xml

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Sophos\AutoUpdate\data\machine_ID

11. Edit the Sophos configuration:

1. Navigate to the Sophos configuration folder for your operating system:

Windows 7 | Windows 8.1 | Windows Server 2008 R2

C:\ProgramData\Sophos\Management Communications System\Endpoint\Config\

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_application_layers/deploy_av_deploy#General


Windows XP

C:\documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Sophos\Management Communications

System\Endpoint\Config\

2. Create or open a file called registration.txt, and add the following lines to this file:

[McsClient]

Token=value_of_MCS_REGISTRATION_TOKEN

where value_of_MCS_REGISTRATION_TOKEN is the value of the MCS_REGISTRATION_TOKEN, which identifies

your Sophos Cloud account. You must extract the value of this token from SophosInstall.exe, as described in Sophos

Article ID: 119699.

12. Edit the Sophos setup f ile:

1. In the folder listed below, create a file called SophosSetup.cmd.

Windows 7 | Windows 8.1 | Windows 2008 R2 Datacenter

C:\Windows\Setup\scripts\kmsdir

Windows XP

C:\sysprep\i386\$oem$

2. Add the following lines to this file, including the double quotes:

sc config "Sophos MCS Client" start= auto

sc config "Sophos MCS Agent" start= auto

net start "Sophos MCS Client"

net start "Sophos MCS Agent"

13. Edit the commands to run each time Sophos is started:

1. Edit the f ile c:\Windows\Setup\scripts\kmsdir\kmssetup.cmd.

2. Add the following script to the section labeled, Commands to run every boot. This script runs the SophosSetup.cmd

file. Script details:

REM Change Sophos Service to Automatic - once

If EXIST SophosSetup.cmd (

echo !date!-!time!-kmssetup.cmd:Call SophosSetup.cmd >> SophosSetuplog.txt

Call SophosSetup.cmd >> SophosSetuplog.txt

Copy SophosSetup.cmd SophosSetupCMD.txt >> SophosSetuplog.txt

Del SophosSetup.cmd >> SophosSetuplog.txt

)

Windows XP only

1. Create a f ile named CmdLines.txt and place it in the folder C:\sysprep\i386\$oem$.

http://www.sophos.com/en-us/support/knowledgebase/119699.aspx


2. Add the following lines to this file:

[Commands]

"SophosSetup.cmd"

14. Join the Installation Machine back to the workgroup.

15. Finalize the Operating System Layer in usual way.

Sophos Anti-Virus - Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 2008 R2 Desktops

About deploying Sophos to new Windows 7 Desktops

This section explains how to deploy the Sophos anti-virus software on new or existing Desktops. You can add Sophos Anti-

virus to either the gold image or to a Version of the Operating System Layer.

These procedures are based on the Sophos knowledge base article that describes how to configure a Desktop to

communicate with the Enterprise Console when the Desktops are used in a VDI environment.

Deployment method

You must always use a gold image or an Operating System Layer Version to deploy Sophos software. You cannot deploy

Sophos software as an Application layer. This is because Sophos creates a user account that it uses for updates on the

desktops it manages, and Unidesk supports these user accounts in the gold image or Operating System Layer Version.

Tested versions

The following version of Sophos anti-virus software has been installed:

Sophos Enterprise Console version 5.1.

Sophos Endpoint Security and Control version 10.3.15

Sophos Endpoint Security and Control version 10.

Note: If Sophos is unable to update the Sophos Auto Update module, all virus signature updates will also fail. To allow

Sophos to update its own updater, edit your OS Layer and delete this directory:

C:\ProgramData\Sophos\AutoUpdate\Cache\sau

Configure the gold image or the Operating System Layer Version

To deploy Sophos in the Unidesk environment:

1. Install the Sophos software on the gold image or Operating System Layer Version.

2. If using a gold image, make sure the Unidesk Tools are installed on the image. If using an Operating System Layer Version,

you can skip this step.

When prompted, allow the system to restart, but do not shut down the gold image after installation finishes. Instead,

complete the rest of this procedure first.

3. Stop and disable only the Sophos services listed in this step. When you deploy the desktops, a Mini-Setup runs. Disabling

the specif ied services ensures that the Sophos services do not start until the Mini-Setup completes.

Sophos Agent

Sophos AutoUpdate Service

http://www.sophos.com/en-us/support/knowledgebase/article/12561.aspx


Sophos Message Router

4. Open the registry editor (using regedit) and delete the pkc and pkp values for the following keys:

Windows 32-bit systems

HKLM\Software\Sophos\Messaging System\Router\Private\

HKLM\Software\Sophos\Remote Management System\ManagementAgent\Private\

Windows 64-bit systems

HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Sophos\Messaging System\Router\Private\

HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Sophos\Remote Management System\ManagementAgent\Private\

5. Delete the following files:

C:\ProgramData\Sophos\AutoUpdate\data\machine_ID.txt

C:\ProgramData\Sophos\AutoUpdate\data\status\status.xml

6. Rename the directories:

From: C:\ProgramData\Sophos\AutoUpdate\Cache\savxp

To: C:\ProgramData\Sophos\AutoUpdate\Cache\savxp.copy

From: C:\ProgramData\Sophos\AutoUpdate\Cache\rms

To: C:\ProgramData\Sophos\AutoUpdate\Cache\rms.copy

This step is required because Unidesk blocks attempts to rename directories that exist on a gold image and the Sophos

update requires it to rename these directories.

7. Create a file named SophosSetup.cmd and place it in the C:\Windows\Setup\scripts\kmsdir folder. (If the folder doesn't

exist, create it).

8. Add the following lines to SophosSetup.cmd (include the double quotes as shown below):

cd "c:\ProgramData\Sophos\AutoUpdate\Cache"

xcopy savxp.copy\*.* savxp\*.* /s/y

xcopy rms.copy\*.* rms\*.* /s/y

sc config "Sophos Agent" start= auto

sc config "Sophos AutoUpdate Service" start= auto

sc config "Sophos Message Router" start= auto

net start "Sophos Agent"

net start "Sophos AutoUpdate Service"

net start "Sophos Message Router"

cd "c:\Windows\Setup\scripts\kmsdir"

9. Edit the c:\Windows\Setup\scripts\kmsdir\kmssetup.cmd file, and add the following script to the section labeled,

'Commands to run every boot'. This script runs the SophosSetup.cmd file. Script details

Example of kmssetup.cmd with Sophos script

REM Change Sophos Service to Automatic - once

If EXIST SophosSetup.cmd (

echo !date!-!time!-kmssetup.cmd:Call SophosSetup.cmd >> SophosSetuplog.txt


Call SophosSetup.cmd >> SophosSetuplog.txt

Del SophosSetupCMD.txt >> SophosSetuplog.txt

Copy SophosSetup.cmd SophosSetupCMD.txt >> SophosSetuplog.txt

Del SophosSetup.cmd >> SophosSetuplog.txt

)

10. If you are using a gold image, shut down the gold image, and use the Unidesk Management Console to create a new

Operating System Layer. This imports the gold image into the new Operating System Layer.

If you are using an Operating System Layer Version, finalize the version in the usual way.

11. To become protected, Persistent Desktops need to be restarted an extra time. Use the Unidesk Management Console

to restart the Desktop.

Optional: Adjust the security identifier

After importing the gold into an Operating System Layer, you might need to create a new version for the Operating System

Layer to update the security identifier (SID) values in one of the Sophos configuration files. The following Sophos

knowledge base article explains how to update the security identifier (SID) values in one of the Sophos configuration files.

When do I need to adjust the SID?

If you deploy a desktop using the Operating System Layer with the Sophos software and the user cannot open the

Sophos Endpoint Security and Control user interface, you need to adjust the SID.

SID adjustment procedure

You can do these steps either before or after importing the gold image into the Unidesk environment. Before you have

imported the gold image into the Unidesk environment, you can do these steps on the gold image. If you have already

imported the gold image, you may do these steps by either editing the latest Operating System Layer revision, or by

creating a new revision of the Operating System Layer.

1. Download the script f ile called UpdateSID.vbs from the Sophos web site. Place this f ile in the C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts

directory. This script is required to f ix the machine ID after a desktop has been deployed.

2. Edit the C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\SophosSetup.cmd file, and add the following two lines to the end of the file:

cd \Windows\setup\scripts

cscript.exe UpdateSID.vbs //B

3. If this is a an OS layer version, finalize the version in the usual way.

You can now create desktops using this version of the Operating System Layer. The desktops should be able to connect to

the Enterprise Console, register, and update according to the update schedule.

Sophos Anti-Virus - New Windows XP Desktops

About deploying Sophos to new Windows XP Desktops

The following procedures apply to deploying the Sophos anti-virus software on new Desktops only. For instructions about

deploying this software on existing Desktops, see the next section.

These procedures are based on the Sophos knowledge base article that describes how to configure a Desktop to


http://www.sophos.com/en-us/support/knowledgebase/113207.aspx



communicate with the Enterprise Console when the Desktops are used in a VDI environment.

Deployment method

To deploy Sophos in the Unidesk environment:

1. Install the software on a gold image or an OS revision.

2. Import the gold image or OS revision into an Operating System Layer.

Tested versions

The following version of Sophos anti-virus software has been tested:

Sophos Enterprise Console version 5.1.

Sophos Endpoint Security and Control version 10.

Configure the gold image or the Operating System Layer Version

You must always use a gold image or an OS revision to deploy Sophos software. You cannot deploy Sophos software as an

Application layer. This is because Sophos creates a user account that it uses for updates on the desktops it manages, and

Unidesk supports these user accounts in the gold image or OS revision.

1. Install the Sophos software on the gold image or OS revision.

2. If using a gold image, install the Unidesk Tools on the image. If using an OS revision, you can skip this step.

When prompted, allow the system to restart, but do not shut down the gold image after installation finishes. Complete

the rest of this procedure first.

3. Stop and disable only the Sophos services listed in this step. When you deploy the desktops, a Mini-Setup runs. Disabling

the specified services ensures that the Sophos services do not start until the Mini-Setup completes.

Sophos Agent

Sophos AutoUpdate Service

Sophos Message Router

4. Open the registry editor (using regedit) and delete the pkc and pkp values for the following keys:

HKLM\Software\Sophos\Messaging System\Router\Private\

HKLM\Software\Sophos\Remote Management System\ManagementAgent\Private\

5. Delete the following files:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Sophos\AutoUpdate\data\machine_ID.txt

C:\documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Sophos\AutoUpdate\data\status\status.xml

6. Rename the directories:

From: C:\documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Sophos\AutoUpdate\Cache\savxp

To: C:\documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Sophos\AutoUpdate\Cache\savxp.copy

From: C:\documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Sophos\AutoUpdate\Cache\rms

To: C:\documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Sophos\AutoUpdate\Cache\rms.copy


This step is required because Unidesk blocks attempts to rename directories that exist on a gold image and the Sophos

update requires it to rename these directories.

7. Edit the answer file (sysprep.inf):

1. If you do not have an answer f ile (sysprep.inf) prepared , log in to the Support area on the Unidesk website, download

the sample answer f ile, and copy it to the C:\sysprep folder.

2. Locate the [Unattended] section.

If this section doesn't exist, add the following line to the file:

[Unattended]

3. Add the following line to the [Unattended] section, if it 's not already there:

InstallFilesPath=C:\sysprep\i386

8. Create a file named SophosSetup.cmd and place it in the c:\sysprep\i386\$oem$ folder (create the folder if it doesn’t

already exist).

9. Add the following lines to SophosSetup.cmd (include the double quotes as shown below):

cd "C:\documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Sophos\AutoUpdate\Cache"

xcopy savxp.copy\*.* savxp\*.* /s/y

xcopy rms.copy\*.* rms\*.* /s/y

sc config "Sophos Agent" start= auto

sc config "Sophos AutoUpdate Service" start= auto

sc config "Sophos Message Router" start= auto

net start "Sophos Agent"

net start "Sophos AutoUpdate Service"

net start "Sophos Message Router"

cd "c:\Windows\Setup\scripts\kmsdir"

10. Edit the CmdLines.txt file in the c:\sysprep\i386\$oem$ folder (create this file if it doesn’t exist).

11. If the file does not include a [Commands] section, create one. Then, add the following line to the [Commands] section.

Include the quotation marks, as shown:

"SophosSetup.cmd"

Important: Ensure that this entry is on its own line by moving the cursor to the end of the line and pressing Enter.

12. If you are using a gold image, shut down the gold image, then use the Unidesk Management Console to create a new

Operating System Layer. This imports the gold image into the new OS layer.

If you are using an OS revision, finalize the version in the usual way.

13. To become protected, Persistent Desktops need to be restarted an extra time. Use the Unidesk Management Console

to restart the Desktop.

Optional: Adjust the security identifier

After importing the gold into an Operating System Layer, you might need to create a new version for the Operating System


Layer to update the security identifier (SID) values in one of the Sophos configuration files. The following Sophos

knowledge base article explains how to update the security identifier (SID) values in one of the Sophos configuration files.

When do I need to adjust the SID?

If you deploy a desktop using the Operating System Layer with the Sophos software and the user cannot open the

Sophos Endpoint Security and Control user interface, you need to adjust the SID.

Adjust the SID

You can do these steps either before or after importing the gold image into the Unidesk environment. Before you have

imported the gold image into the Unidesk environment, you can do these steps on the gold image. If you have already

imported the gold image, you may do these steps by either editing the latest Operating System Layer revision, or by

creating a new revision of the Operating System Layer.

1. Download the script f ile called UpdateSID.vbs from the Sophos web site at http://www.sophos.com/en-

us/support/knowledgebase/113207.aspx.

2. Place this f ile in the C:\Program Files\Sophos directory. This script is required to f ix the machine ID after a desktop has

been deployed.

3. Create a file in the C:\Program Files\Sophos directory called SophosUpdateSID.cmd and place the following lines in the

file:

cd C:\Program Files\Sophos

cscript.exe UpdateSID.vbs //B

4. Edit the c:\Sysprep\sysprep.inf file:

1. If the section [GuiRunOnce] doesn’t exist, create it at the bottom of the f ile.

2. Add this line to the above section. (Include the double quotes, as shown.)

"C:\Program Files\Sophos\SophosUpdateSID.cmd"

3. Save the f ile.

5. If this is a an OS layer version, f inalize the version in the usual way.

You can now create desktops using this version of the Operating System Layer. The desktops should be able to connect to

the Enterprise Console, register, and update according to the update schedule.

Sophos Anti-Virus - Existing Windows XP Desktops

Create the Sophos Application Layer that activates the Sophos services on each Windows XP Desktop

The purpose of this layer is to execute a run-once script that starts the Sophos services correctly on desktops using the

Microsoft Windows XP operating system.

For existing Desktops, the script runs the first time a user logs in to the Desktop and does not run during subsequent logins.

For new Desktops, the script runs after it 's been restarted once. After the first login, remove this layer at your convenience.

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, select Layers >Application Layer.

2. Select Create Layer in the Action bar. This opens the Create Layer wizard.

3. In the Layer Details tab, enter the following path in the Script Path. (Include the double quotes as shown below):



"C:\Program Files\Sophos\SophosSetup.cmd"

4. In the Installation Machine Details tab, select the Operating System Layer that contains the Sophos software.


6. When prompted to install software on the Installation Machine, copy the file c:\sysprep\i386\$oem$\SophosSetup.cmd

to C:\Program Files\Sophos.

7. Select Finalize in the Action bar.

Edit the Windows XP Desktops

Use the following procedure to deploy the Sophos anti-virus software to existing Windows XP Desktops.

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, select the desktops that need the Sophos software.

2. Select Edit Desktops in the Action bar.

3. In the OS Assignment tab, select the Operating System Layer that contains the Sophos software.

4. In the Application Assignment tab, select the Application Layer that defines the run-once script.


When the deployment task completes, users can login, the Sophos run once script runs, and the Sophos anti-virus

software is active.

Symantec Endpoint Protection software

About deploying Symantec Endpoint Protection software in a Unidesk environment

You can deploy the Symantec™ Endpoint Protection application using any of the following methods.

Install the application on a gold image, then import the gold image into an Operating System Layer.

Install the application as an OS Layer version.

Install the application as part of an Application Layer.

Note: On-access scanning is recommended in Unidesk Deployments. You can use the Symantec Shared Insight Cache to

improve performance by avoiding the rescan of files in a Layer after the files have been marked 'clean.'

Symantec Endpoint Protection behavior on Unidesk desktops

The following table describes virus scan behavior on Unidesk desktops.

Scantype

Behavior

On-access

Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows 7: On-access scans work as expected on all Unideskdesktops.

Microsoft Windows XP: A manual virus scan examines only the files on the virtual machine's boot volume.

The boot volume contains the parts of the operating system that start the desktop and a basic network


Manual stack that allows the desktop to access its layers on the CachePoint Appliance.

Microsoft Windows 7: If you turn off User Account Control (UAC), a manual virus scan examines only the files

on the virtual machine's boot volume. You should keep UAC enabled when you install the software.

Tested versions

Symantec Endpoint Protection Client and Manager support:

v 12 and 12.1 (supported)

v 12.1.2 and 12.1.3 (not supported)

v 12.1.4 (supported)



Important: Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1.2 and 12.1.3 are not supported due to a Symantec issue that prevents

Unidesk from working correctly. Use Symantec 12, 12.1, 12.1.4, 12.1.5, or 12.1.6 with Unidesk.

Symantec Endpoint Protection and Windows compatibility

Although Symantec Endpoint Protection supports the Windows 8.1 64-bit operating system, it does not work with

Windows 8.1 32-bit.

Install software using Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager

If you are using the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager to install the Symantec Endpoint Protection Client onto a

gold image or an Installation Machine, follow these steps.

This procedure uses Computer Mode as the deployment method.

1. In the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager, locate the gold image (if you are using an Operating System Layer) or

the Installation Machine (if you are using an Application Layer or layer revision).

1. Select Clients > Find Unmanaged Computers.

2. Enter the appropriate search criteria in the displayed window.

3. Install the software.

2. Log into the Installation Machine and turn Tamper Protection off .

3. Turn off the registry entry for “Stealth” protection (shown below). This allows scanning to work even if User Account

Control (UAC) is turned on.

For 32-bit machines:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\AV\Common]

"ScanStealthFiles" = (REG_DWORD) 0

For 64-bit machines:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\AV\Common]

"ScanStealthFiles" = (REG_DWORD) 0


4. Using regedit, change the Group and Tag values for each ccSettings GUID.

1. Go to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\ccSettings_{GUID}]. If there is more than one

ccSettings_{GUID}, start with the first one.

Note: When you first install Symantec, there is one ccSettings_{GUID}, and each time you upgrade the application,

another GUID is added.

2. For each ccSettings_{GUID}, change the Group value from FSFilter Bottom to FSFilter Virtualization.

3. Then change the Tag value to an 8 for the first GUID, and add 1 to the value for each succeeding GUID. So, for the

next GUID the value will be 9, the one after that will be 10, etc.

5. Restart the Installation Machine or Gold image, then restart the Installation Machine as often as necessary until the

post-installation reboot request no longer appears in the Unidesk Manager Console.

6. Turn Tamper Protection back on.

7. For SEP 12.1.x, use the instructions in the following knowledge base article to prepare the machines to deploy the

software in a VDI environment.

How to prepare a Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1 client for cloning:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO54706

8. Shut down the Gold image and import it in to an Operating System Layer or Finalize IM.

Installation considerations

When you deploy the Symantec Endpoint Protection application, the Unidesk software needs to rebuild the desktop or

Installation Machine image several times during deployment (depending on how you deploy this application). This behavior is

expected, as the Symantec Endpoint Protection software does not complete the full configuration of boot-level

components during the initial installation.

For client-server deployments

The Symantec Endpoint Protection software:

Installs some of the required drivers and restarts the desktop or Installation Machine.

Updates additional components and restarts the desktop or Installation Machine again.

Completes the installation and restarts the desktop or Installation Machine one more time.

Deploying to desktops

If you are deploying the Symantec software to Non-persistent Desktops, it must be included when creating the desktop. If

you add an Application Layer containing Symantec Endpoint Protection to an existing Non-persistent Desktop, two entries

per Desktop will show up in the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager.

If you create a Persistent Desktop on Windows 2008 R2 with a SEPM Application Layer or assign the SEPM Application

Layer to an existing Desktop, two instances of the same machine with different names appear in the SEPM console. One

name is correct. The second name (UNIDESKxxxxx) is a temporary name that should have been deleted. To fix this issue you

can delete clients that have not connected for X number of days:

1. In the SEPM console, go to the Admin page, and select Domains.

2. Under Tasks, select Edit Domain Properties.


3. In the Edit Domain Properties window, on the default General tab, note the option to Delete clients that have notconnected for specif ied time. A recommended value for large enterprise environments would be 7 to 14 days.

4. For details, see Solution 2 in this SEP article.

Symantec Help (SymHelp) diagnostic tool considerations

If you plan to deploy Symantec Endpoint Protection in a layer please note that the Symantec Help (SymHelp) diagnostic

tool requires that 2 files be placed in the UEP. In order to do, create a script with the following lines and place the path to it

in a script path when applying the Symantec layer.

pushd "C:\ProgramData\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\CurrentVersion\Data\IRON"

copy Iron.db Iron.db.save

copy Iron.db.save Iron.db /y

copy RepuSeed.irn RepuSeed.irn.save

copy RepuSeed.irn.save RepuSeed.irn /y

popd

Trend Micro OfficeScan anti-virus software

About deploying Trend Micro OfficeScan software in a Unidesk environment

The following procedures describe how to use an Operating System Layer or an Application Layer to deploy the Trend

Micro™ OfficeScan anti-virus software in the Unidesk environment. These procedures are based on the Trend Micro

documentation for deploying desktops in a VDI environment.

Please refer to the following Trend Micro document, as it is important to understand their recommendations when

installing the software:

http://esupport.trendmicro.com/solution/en-us/1056314.aspx

For Knowledge base articles and Forum discussions on other Trend Micro products, search the Unidesk site.

Deployment methods

Use any of the following methods to deploy the Trend Micro anti-virus software:

Install the software on a gold image and import it to a new Operating System Layer.

Install the software on an OS Layer version.


Important

If you install Trend Micro OfficeScan on a gold image or OS Layer version, you must run the OfficeScan TCacheGen.exe file

on the gold image or Operating System Layer, and on every Application Layer that uses that gold image or Operating

System Layer.

In addition, whenever you create an Application Layer or layer version, you must run TCacheGen.exe again on every layer

that uses the Operating System Layer containing Trend Micro OfficeScan.

Once you run TCacheGen.exe, do not run the Installation Machine again.

You can copy TCacheGen.exe from the OfficeScan server, as specified in the Trend Micro documentation. Typically, this file

is located in the \\<TrendServerName>\ofcscan\Admin\Utility\TCacheGen folder.

http://www.symantec.com/connect/articles/duplicate-sep-clients-appear-symantec-endpoint-protection-manager-console

http://esupport.trendmicro.com/solution/en-us/1056314.aspx


Tested versions

The following version of Trend Micro anti virus has been tested:

Trend Micro OfficeScan Client and Server version 11.0.4150 (on Windows 7, Windows, 10, and Windows Server 2008)

Trend Micro OfficeScan Client and Server version 11.

Trend Micro OfficeScan Client and Server version 10.6.


1. Install the Unidesk Tools on the gold image.

This procedure requires that the Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) for the Trend Micro software is removed before you

import the gold image in to an Operating System Layer (see step 4). When you install the Unidesk Tools, a system restart

is required, which creates a new GUID. Therefore, you must install the Unidesk Tools first, allow the installation to restart

the machine, and then remove the GUID that the restart created.

2. Install the Trend Micro Micro OfficeScan Client.

3. Copy the TCacheGen.exe file from the OfficeScan server, as documented in step 1 in the Trend Micro documentation.

Typically, this file is located in the \\<TrendServerName>\ofcscan\Admin\Utility\TCacheGen folder.

4. Run the TCacheGen.exe as described in Step 2 of the Trend Micro documentation.

5. Click Remove GUID from the Template and click OK.


7. Create an Operating System Layer using the gold image in the usual way.

Important: Any time you add a version to this layer, you must run the TCacheGen.exe and remove the GUID again. This

ensures that the desktops that use this layer operate correctly.


1. In the Unidesk Management Console, complete the Create Layer Wizard in usual way.

2. When prompted to do so, install the Trend Micro OfficeScan Client on the Installation Machine.

Note: If you are installing Trend Micro OfficeScan 11, when the task status becomes Action Required, you must disablethe Unauthorized Change Prevention service, as follows:

1. On the OfficeScan server, double-click the OfficeScan Web Console (HTML) link on the Desktop to open the

OfficeScan Web Console.

2. In the OfficeScan Web Console, select Agents > Agent Management .

3. Right-click OfficeScan Server and select Settings > Additional service settings. This opens the Additional service

settings window.

4. Under Unauthorized Change Prevention service, clear the Enable service on the following operating systemscheck box.

5. In the web console, select Agents > Agent Installation > Remote.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/install_or_upgrade_unidesk/deploy_unidesk_install


6. In the Search for endpoints field, specify the IP address of your Installation Machine, and press Enter.

7. Type the Installation Machine's local administrator user name and password, and click Log in.

8. Click Install to install the OfficeScan Agent to target computers, and click OK in the confirmation box. A confirmation

message confirms the number of agents to which notifications were sent and the number that verified the receipt of

those notices.

9. On the Console go to Agents > Agent Management . Select Workgroup, and then the Installation Machine name.

10. Make sure, all groups you are going to use, have disabled Unauthorized Change Prevention service, by right-clicking

the Installation Machine and selecting Settings > Additional service settings. This opens the Additional servicesettings window.

3. Under Unauthorized Prevention Service, clear the Enable service on the following operating systems check box.

4. If prompted, restart the Installation Machine to allow the boot image to rebuild..

5. After the Installation Machine restarts, copy the TCacheGen.exe file from the OfficeScan server, as documented in step

1 in the Trend Micro documentation. Typically, this file is located in the folder:

\\TrendServerName\ofcscan\Admin\Utility\TCacheGen folder.

6. Run the TCacheGen.exe as detailed in Step 2 of the Trend Micro documentation.

7. Click Remove GUID from the Template and click OK.

8. Finalize the layer.

Important: Any time you add a version to this Layer, you must run the TCacheGen.exe and remove the GUID again. This

ensures that the Desktops that use this Layer operate correctly.


Deploy Windows 8.1 applications in Layers

Jun 28 , 2017

To deliver applications on Windows 8.1 via Unidesk Layers, you need to build the applications so they can be centrally

managed. This is because Windows Store Apps are managed via each user's profile and can only be deployed to one user.

Regular Windows Store apps, like Bing Finance and Weather, cannot be sideloaded or layered. You can, however, deliver

centrally managed applications on Windows 8.1 by sideloading Enterprise applications, also called Line of Business (LoB)

applications.

Before you start

Requirements to run Windows 8.1 Enterprise Line of Business (LoB) apps include:

Apply a Security Certif icate.

Enable app Sideloading.

Join a domain.

Create your Windows 8.1 Line of Business (LoB) apps

Microsoft provides several resources for building Windows Store LoB apps, including:

Design case study: Enterprise line of business Windows Runtime app

Building Windows Store Line-of-Business Applications

Building Windows 8 Line of Business Apps

Sideload Line of Business apps in Unidesk Layers

Microsoft lets you deploy an LoB app by sideloading it for all users or for one user, and you can do either with Unidesk.

Sideloading an app is done by running a few commands in Windows PowerShell.

Sideload the app for all users

You can sideload an app for all users by using the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool. DISM is a

command-line tool that you can use to service a Windows image, either online or offline. You can use DISM to provision a

Windows Store app in an online Windows image for all users who share the computer. To do that, you use the DISM Add-

ProvisionedAppxPackage option, as follows:

1. Log on using an account with administrative privileges on the computer. You must use an administrator account here,

because you are provisioning an app in the image.

2. On the Start screen, type PowerShell and press Ctrl/Shif t/Enter.

3. On the User Account Control dialog box, click Yes.

4. At the Windows PowerShell prompt, run the following command, where SampleApp is the path and file name of the

package file you created (e.g., c:\myapps\MySample_1.0.0.0_AnyCPU_Debug.appx):

DISM /Online /Add-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackagePath:“SampleApp” /skiplicense

5. Monitor the installation, and close the Windows PowerShell window after it finishes.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/jj659079.aspx

http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2013/DEV-B358#fbid=

http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechDays/Techdays-2014-the-Netherlands/Building-Windows-8-Line-of-Business-Apps


For more about DISM, see the Microsoft Deployment Image Servicing and Management Technical Reference.

Sideload the app for a user

You can sideload the app for the current user account. If another user were to log onto the computer, the app would not

be available to them.

Here are the steps to sideload an app for a user:

1. Log onto the domain using the target account, because you cannot run the sample app by using the built-in local or

domain Administrator account. You can use a standard user account.

2. On the Start screen, type PowerShell and press Enter.

3. At the Windows PowerShell prompt, run the following commands, where SampleApp is the path and name of the

package file you created (e.g., c:\myapps\MySample_1.0.0.0_AnyCPU_Debug.appx):

import-module appx

add-appxpackage “SampleApp”

4. Monitor the installation, and close the Windows PowerShell window after it finishes.

Launch the LoB app

On the Start screen, click the app's tile. You will find it on the far right side of the Start screen. You can also type the app’s

name, and click the tile.

For example, we named our app MySample. On the Start screen, we just type MySample, and then click the MySample tile.

Of course, there is not much to the app, but you have successfully sideloaded it, and sideloading other Windows Store apps

works the same way.

Remove an LoB app from a Unidesk Application Layer

If installed as an Application Layer, removing the Layer from a Desktop will cause the LoB app to stop working, but will still

appear on the start page. When the Layer is removed, the app will no longer be applied to new users, since the DISM action

is no longer executing.

If installed on an Operating System Layer Version:

1. Use the usual provisionapp removal procedures, for example:

Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName MyAppxPkg

Or, at a command prompt, type:

DISM.exe /Online /Remove-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackageName:microsoft.app1_1.0.0.0_neutral_en-

us_ac4zc6fex2zjp

Microsoft resources: Sideloading Windows Store Apps

Try It Out: Sideload Windows Store Apps

Sideload Apps with DISM

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744256%28v=ws.10%29.aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/jj874388.aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh852635.aspx


Packaging your Windows Store app using Visual Studio 2012

Create an app package

Managing apps

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh454036%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh975357%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

http://www.verboon.info/2012/02/managing-windows-8-metro-style-apps-with-dism/


Troubleshoot application layering

Jun 28 , 2017

This article explains how to troubleshoot typical issues with Application Layers.

Quick review of the basics

When a user opens a file on their Unidesk Desktop, the Unidesk software directs Microsoft Windows to open the file from

the Layer with the highest priority. The User Layer, which contains files created or modified on the Desktop, is always

highest priority, so Windows will be directed to the User Layer as the source for those files. If the file isn't found in the User

Layer, the Unidesk software looks for it in the Application Layers. If Windows finds the file in an more than one Application

Layer or Layer Version, it uses the file in the most recently created Application Layer Version. Finally, if neither the User Layer

nor an Application Layer has the file, Unidesk uses the version of the file that’s in the Operating System Layer, the Layer

with the lowest priority.

Note: By default, Application Layer priority is determined by the Layer/Version creation date or modification date. There are

ways override the default priority, as explained later in this article. However, in most cases, this prioritization works well.

Imagine a scenario where the user has installed an application on their desktop. Because the application is user-installed, it

is stored in the person's User Layer. The application has an old version of foo.dll. If an IT-delivered application (in an

Application Layer) needs a later version of that same dll (foo.dll), the IT-delivered application will not work correctly on that

user’s Desktop. That's because Windows finds the User Layer version of the file and uses that one instead of the newer

version in the Application Layer. The good news is that you can fix an issue like this, as Unidesk gives you a few ways to

control where a file will be delivered from.

When I create a new desktop, one or more applications do not work correctly

Administrators often create all of the Application Layers and just start deploying new desktops with all of the layers. This

can work fine but if it doesn’t, step back and take an incremental approach to isolate the issue.

Can you create a desktop with just the Operating System Layer and the failing Application Layer? If that doesn’t work

then you have an issue with that particular application. Check the Application Layer Recipes page for details on specif ic

applications. If you don't see your application in the recipes, open a support case.

If you have a clear conflict between 2 layers you have several choices for resolving that conflict. You can:

Combine the conflicting applications in a single Layer, often the simplest solution.

Create one of the Layers using the conflicting Layer as a prerequisite Layer. This is best in case where you need to

deploy and update the applications separately. When you specify a prerequisite layer, the Installation Machine will be

created with both the specif ied OS and the prerequisite Layer installed. You will need to remember to always include

that prerequisite Layer when you update your application.

If you know which file is causing the conflict and which application should deliver that file, use layer priorities to ensure

that the file will always come from the correct layer. For details, use the following steps to Manage Layer priorities:

Manage Application Layer priorities

An application is not working correctly on an existing desktop

If the application used to work on the desktop and now it isn’t the solution is often a simple reinstall. Editing the desktop

and selecting the reinstall checkbox for the failing application simply removes any files from the user layer that are part of

the application layer.

https://www.unidesk.com/forum/application-layer-recipes


When I deploy a new version of an application to a desktop it does not workcorrectly

Try a reinstall of the application; edit the desktop and check the reinstall flag on the application that is not working. If that

works this was due to some change on the user desktop that is incompatible with the new application version. Ask the user

to check that all of their self installed applications are working.

If reinstall did not work, the issue is probably not specific to that user’s desktop. (Keep in mind that you can roll the desktop

back to an earlier version of the application to keep the user productive while you do further troubleshooting. Try deploying

the new version of the application to a newly created desktop. If it works in the newly created desktop then you know

there is some conflict with another application layer that was deployed on the user’s desktop or possibly with something

that the user has installed themselves.

When creating a new layer version the install machine says that Windows needs tobe activated

If this is not impacting your layer update, just ignore it! Microsoft is detecting a change in the activation information of the

OS layer and of the application layer that you are updating. This will not have any impact when the application is deployed

to a desktop because the activation information is in the user layer on the desktop. If you do require activation to

complete your new layer version (possible if you are installing MSFT patches) then go ahead and activate in the install

machine.


Create Desktops

Jun 28 , 2017

You can create one Desktop at a time, or as many as you want at once. You can name Desktops individually, or generate

the names based on an expression of your choosing. You can create Desktops in a broker pool or group, or add them

manually after you create them. You can create Desktops using templates of pre-configured choices to ensure consistency,

for example, so that all users within a department receive the same applications.

You can deploy a desktop to one or more users. If you deploy to one user, you can specify a name for the desktop. If you

deploy to more than one user, the Unidesk software creates a desktop with a generated name for each user, based on the

naming convention you specify.

Creating Persistent versus non-persistent desktops

Once you create a desktop, you cannot change its type.

If you choose Persistent Desktops

Creating Persistent Desktops is typically straight-forward, regardless of the number of Desktops you are creating, whether

you are creating them in a broker pool or group, and whether or not you are using a template. Go for it!

If you choose Non-Persistent Desktops

Creating Non-Persistent Desktops involves a few extra considerations. It 's worth getting familiar with these

before you start.

The owner of a Non-persistent Desktop will be the Group. Since Non-Persistent Desktops do not have an individual

"owner" per se, the group name with a number appended to it becomes the name of the owner.

You can set the number of Desktops to keep powered on and ready for use if you use a template to createthem. You can create nonpersistent desktops using the Create Desktop wizard, and if you choose a Template that's

associated with a broker pool or group, you can set a power policy for the minimum number of unassigned desktops to

keep powered on and ready for use. For details, see Create Non-persistent Desktops governed by a power policy.

When a desktop restarts, it will power down and sometimes back on, based on the Power Policy. When a user

logs off of a Non-persistent Desktop, the Desktop restarts automatically or according to the Desktop Power Policy if

you have defined one. The Power Policy specif ies how many Non-persistent Desktops should remain powered on and

ready for use.

Non-persistent Desktops cannot be backed up or restored. To return a Non-persistent desktop to its original state,

you can simply restart it.

When the user logs out or reboots, any f iles or applications they've added are discarded. Users can install

applications, as long as the installation does not require the desktop to restart. Every time the desktop restarts, it reverts

to its original state, which did not include user-installed applications or f iles. Any f iles and applications that a user has

added are discarded.

Desktop names

You can use a variety of built-in aides when naming Desktops, for example, a list of naming conventions and automatically

generated names. There are just a few things to keep in mind.

Desktop naming requirements

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/create-desktops/create-non-persistent-desktops.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/create-desktops/create-non-persistent-desktops.html


Desktop names must meet the these basic naming requirements, or the Desktop will not start.

Names can include one to 15 of these characters:◾Letters a through z, and A through Z

Numbers 0 through 9

Hyphen (-) and Underscore (_)

Names cannot include Spaces, the characters / \ * , . " @, or a sequence of two hyphens (--) or underscores (__)

Names cannot start with a number, hyphen (-), or underscore (_)

Names cannot end with a hyphen (-) or an underscore (_)

Built-in Desktop naming conventions

When creating Desktops, you can ensure that naming is consistent by choosing one of the built-in naming conventions, or

by defining (and then choosing) a naming convention of your own.

This convention... Creates a name that contains the... Example

FirstnameLastname First name and last name of the selected user. JoeyHartley

LastnameFirstInitial Last name and first initial of the selected user. HartleyJ

FirstInitialLastname First initial and last name of the selected user. JHartley

GroupnameIncrementSelected group name. Also appends a sequential numeric value to the end of each

desktop name.

Support1,

Support2

Auto-generate Desktop names

When you create more than one Desktop at a time, the system generates the names for you. You can also choose to have

the system generate a name for an individual Desktop.

You can either use the predefined naming conventions, or create a custom naming convention for the current operation.

Example

You need to create a pool of 15 desktops for contractors to use. You can:

1. Create a resource pool in the virtual infrastructure for deploying the desktops to contractors, as needed.

2. Log into the and create a group called Contractor-pool.

3. Create the desktops, using the GroupnameIncrement naming convention. The name of each desktop in the pool will

have the same name with a number appended to it. For example, the name of the f irst desktop will be Contractor-pool1,

the name of the next desktop will be Contractor-pool2, and so forth.

4. Finally, import the virtual machines associated with the desktops into the resource pool in the virtual infrastructure.

Change the built-in Desktop naming conventions



2. Select Desktop Naming Convention Settings and click Edit.

3. In the Expression box for the naming convention that you want to change, edit the displayed expression.

In addition to using the naming expressions, you can enter additional characters as long at they follow the host naming

standards.

Example: If you wanted desktop names to use a format such as, MKTG-FirstnameLastname, you could enter an

expression similar to the following one:

MKTG-%F%L

4. Click Save.

Define your own custom Desktop naming conventions


2. Select Desktop Naming Convention Settings and click Edit.

3. Click Add Naming Convention.

4. In the Convention Name box, enter a name that you want to associate with the naming convention. The Create

Desktop wizard displays this name as a selection in the Desktop Assignment tab.

5. Enter an expression that defines the syntax for the name. In addition to using the built-in naming expressions, you can

enter additional characters as long at they follow the host naming standards.

6. Click Add and click Save.

Expressions for defining your own naming conventions

Naming convention expressions define how the system displays the naming conventions. The following table describes the

syntax for the valid expressions that the system uses to generate names.

Use... To include... Examples

%[n]F

The first name of the selected user.

The n variable indicates the number of characters to include. If you do not specify a character length, the

software uses the full name.

%F = Joey

%3F = Joe

%[n]L

The last name of the selected user.



%L =

Hartley

%4L = Hart

%[n]G

The name of a selected group.



%G =

Marketing

%3G =Mar

[%I]

A unique number at the end of a generated name. The number starts at 1 and increments sequentially for each

desktop that the software creates. The software applies this expression if the generated name is not unique and

if you include it in a custom expression.

%3G%I =

Mar1,

Mar2,

Mar3, ...

Desktop storage and CachePoint management


When you create one or more desktops, the Unidesk software chooses the datastore on which to store each Desktop,

and the Secondary CachePoint Appliance that will manage the Desktop. The goal is to achieve an even distribution of

desktops across datastores and Secondary CachePoints.

Datastore - The Unidesk software uses the datastore that best meets the space requirement for each Desktop when it

is created.

CachePoint - The software compares the number of Desktops on the CachePoints that have access to the datastore

and chooses the CachePoint most.

Let’s say you are creating 50 desktops and you have five CachePoints for the chosen datastore. If one of the CachePoints

already has 50 desktops, the new desktops would be added to one or more of the other CachePoints.

Note: You can prevent a Secondary CachePoint Appliance from being used for new desktops, by editing the CachePoint

Properties. You would deselect "Allow new desktops to be deployed to this CachePoint" on the first wizard tab. For details,

click here.

Once a desktop is created, it remains on the same CachePoint, unless you back up the desktop and restore it to a different

CachePoint.

Desktop templates

Templates let you quickly create desktops in standard configurations, for example, desktops that include the same layers

and default settings. If you select a template while creating a desktop, the wizard uses the settings from the template as

the starting point.

Default templates

The Unidesk Management Console provides default templates for desktops using the Microsoft® Windows® XP or

Microsoft® Windows® 7 operating system. These templates include default values for the virtual machine settings. They do

not include default values for layers or desktop details, such as the hosting CachePoint Appliance or the virtual network.

You can use these templates as a starting point, specifying custom settings as needed, instead of creating a new template.

Create a desktop using a template

1. Select Desktops > Create Desktop to create one or more desktops.

2. In the Template Selection tab, select a template. The template-specif ied settings become the default settings for the

desktops.

Once you select a template, the Desktop Visualization panel displays all of the layer assignments and desktops settings

as specif ied in the template. Also, the selections made in the template are shown, but grayed in the Desktop wizard tabs.

3. Complete the wizard in the usual, making changes to the template-specif ied layer assignments and settings, as

necessary. In addition, if the template did not include selections for all of the desktop settings, you must specify values

these settings.

You can override most template settings

When creating a desktop using a template, you can specify different settings than the template defaults. These custom

settings override any settings or layer assignments that the saved template includes. For example, you can set a different

backup schedule for a desktop, and this new schedule will override the original backup schedule.

Settings that cannot be overridden


Although most settings can be overridden when using a template to create desktops, the following settings will be grayed

out:

Desktop Type - Once you've created a desktop using a template, you can never change the template's desktop type .

Desktop Power Policy - If you want to create desktops that use a different power policy than specif ied in the

template, you can edit this setting in Template Properties and then create the new desktops. The change will apply to

any desktops created using the new template version, but desktops created previously will not be changed.

Connection Broker - If you need to create desktops with different broker settings, you can change them in Template

Properties. Desktops you create after editing this setting will have the new broker setting. Any desktops that you

created previously, will not be moved to the new broker, and the power policy will only apply to those desktops once you

move them to the new pool/collection/group. You will need to move the desktops manually using the connection broker.

View template setting overrides

When you select a template while creating a desktop, the Desktop Visualization panel displays the settings from the

template. If you deselect layers or specify settings that are different from the template settings, the Desktop Visualization

panel uses special indicators to indicate that a selection is not a template-specified setting.

The Desktop Visualization panel shows custom settings in the following ways:

If you deselect a layer included in the template, the layer is grayed out.

If you select a setting that is not included in the template or a layer version that is different from the template, a

custom setting indicator appears next to it. To see the original template layer or setting, you can move the cursor over

the indicator.


Create your first Desktop to verify the OperatingSystem Layer

Jun 28 , 2017

A Desktop is a virtual machine that you can deploy to a user. It contains an operating system, virtual machine settings, and

any applications you deploy to it.

By creating a Desktop, you can verify that your Operating System Layer is in good working order. You can then use this

tested Layer to create the Application Layers your users need. Application Layers are compatible with only one Operating

System Layer (and all of its Layer Versions).

Before creating the Operating System Layer, be sure to prepare your gold image for the Unidesk environment.

Creat e your first Unidesk Deskt opCreat e your first Unidesk Deskt op

1. In the Unidesk menu bar select Deskt ops Deskt ops , then click Creat e Deskt opCreat e Deskt op in the Action bar. This opens the Create Desktop

wizard with the available templates displayed.

2. (Optional) In the Template Selection tab, you can select a template. The User Assignment wizard tab is displayed.

Versions).

3. In the User Assignment tab, specify the user or group to assign to the Desktop.

Note: If you choose a group, it must not be empty.

1. Leave Broker Integration set to None, unless you have integrated with one of the supported connection brokers,

VMware View or XenDesktop.

2. Select Assigned to User, and choose the user you specif ied when preparing the gold image.

Notice your choices displayed in the Desktop Visualization panel to the right.

4. In the Desktop Details tab, enter a name for the Desktop and choose the network.

1. Choose a cluster or server on which to host the Desktop.

2. Enter a name for the Desktop.

3. Enter a description of the Desktop (optional).

4. Select a network in the virtual infrastructure to which the Desktop will connect.

5. Specify the type of Desktop that you want to create: persistent or nonpersistent. A persistent Desktop maintains all

of a user's changes in the User Layer. A nonpersistent Desktop discards its User Layer and reverts to a pristine backup

every time it restarts.

5. In the OS Assignment tab, select the Operating System (OS) layer.

6. In the Desktop Settings tab, choose a value for each field.

7. In the Confirm and Complete tab, confirm that the settings are correct (in the Desktop Visualization panel to the right),

and click Creat e Deskt opsCreat e Deskt ops to start creating the Desktop.

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/create-an-os-layer/prepare-the-gold-image.html


A Desktop icon appears, its status displayed in the lower right corner of the icon. The Desktop status cycles through

Stopped, Powering on, Starting, and Running. For more status information, click the Expander tab in the bottom center

of the console to open the Tasks panel.

Verif y t he Deskt opVerif y t he Deskt op

After you create a Desktop, log in to the Desktop using the account you created in the gold OS.

To log on to the Desktop:

1. Using either a vSphere Client or an RDP session, log into the Desktop.

Not e: Not e: If you need the IP address assigned to the Desktop, hover over the Desktop icon and click the information

indicator (i). This displays the IP Address assigned to the Desktop.

The first time someone logs into a Desktop, the Desktop composite is created. This takes longer than a typical login.

To create Application layers that you can give to the different Desktops you create, see Creating an Application Layer.

If Desktop startup times seem slow on Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, please see the tips for deploying Windows on that

platform.

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/test_desktop_25_70.png

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/create-application-layers.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/create-an-os-layer/prepare-the-gold-image.html


Create Desktop templates

Jun 28 , 2017

Desktop templates are a convenience for deploying new Desktops quickly and with consistent settings. You can create a

template for one or more standard desktop configuration(s). You can choose to start with a blank template and specify all

of the settings and layers, or use an existing template as a starting point and modify values, as needed.

When you use a template to create desktops, the values in the template become the default values for desktops. You can

override many of these values when you create the desktop(s).

The Create Template wizard displays your selections in the Template Visualization panel. The Template Visualization panel

shows layers in the order in which the desktop deployment process applies them.

Unlike Desktops, you cannot use a template to create new broker Pools or groups. You can, however, use a template to

select a specific pool or group. Templates are most important when creating Non-persistent Desktops, as they are required

if you want to use the Unidesk Desktop Power Management feature, as described in the next section.

Templat e Set t ingsTemplat e Set t ings

Any settings you enter in a template will not have to be entered when you create desktops using the template.

Layers

The template settings can include:

One version of an Operating System Layer.

Multiple Application Layers.

Virtual machine

Virtual machine settings can include:

Number of CPU Sockets

Cores per Socket

Memory

Backup frequency

Amount of storage for user data

Page file size (% Memory)

Core Dump type

CachePoint Appliance to host the desktop

Network

Desktop Type

Connection

brokerThe virtual desktop connection broker and the pool or group.

The Unidesk Management Console provides a default template for each supported operating system when you create or

modify desktops. The default settings in these templates are based on Microsoft and VMware recommendations. As with

any template, you can:

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/manage-layers.html


Assign these templates to desktops without customizing them.

Use these templates to create new, customized templates.

Customize these templates and assign them to desktops. You can also use them to create new templates after you

customize them.

Def ault t emplat es shipped wit h t he productDef ault t emplat es shipped wit h t he product

Two templates are shipped with the product: one for Persistent Windows 7 Desktops, and one for Persistent Windows XP

Desktops. The default templates function exactly the same as a template that you create. After selecting the template

while creating or modifying desktops, you can choose to override any of the default settings.

You can delete the default templates, if you do not need them, but if you do, you must create new ones to replace them.

Standard Windows 8.1 template settings

The Standard Windows 8.1 Update 1 template includes the following default values:

T emplate SettingT emplate Setting ValueValue

Desktype

TypePersistent

CPU Sockets 3

Cores per

Socket1

Memory 2048-MB

Backup

Frequency

1 time a day

6:00 PM

Storage for

User Data8-GB

Page File

Size50%

Core Dump

TypeMini

Standard Windows Server 2008 template settings

The Standard Windows Server 2008 R2 template includes the following default values:



Desktype

TypePersistent

CPU Sockets 1

Cores per

Socket1

Memory 2048-MB

Backup

Frequency

1 time a day

6:00 PM

Storage for

User Data8-GB

Page File

Size50%

Core Dump

TypeMini

Standard Windows 7 template settings

The Standard Win7 template includes the following default values:



Desktype

TypePersistent

CPU Sockets 1

Cores per

Socket1

Memory 1024-MB

Backup

Frequency

1 time a day

6:00 PM

Storage for

User Data8-GB

Page File

Size50%

Core Dump

TypeMini

Standard XP template settings

The Standard XP template includes the following default settings:



Desktype

TypePersistent

CPU Sockets 1

Cores per

Socket1

Memory 512-MB

Backup

Frequency

1 time a day

6:00 PM

Storage for

User Data8-GB

Page File

Size50%

Core Dump

TypeMini

To creat e a t emplat e:To creat e a t emplat e:

1. Select Layers > Templates > Create Template.

2. In the T emplat e Det ailsT emplat e Det ails tab, enter the name and descriptions for the template. If a similar template exists, you can

choose it as a starting point to save time.

3. In the OS AssignmentOS Assignment tab, select an Operating System Layer. If an Operating System Layer has multiple versions,

expand it and select the version you want. By default, the software selects the most recent version. Once you have

created the template, you cannot change the Operating System Layer

4. If an Application Layer has multiple versions, expand it and select the version you want. By default, the software selects

the most recent version. Application Layers not associated with the selected Operating System Layer remain grayed out.

In the Applicat ion Assignment Applicat ion Assignment tab, select one or more Applications layers. You must specify an Operating System

Layer to select Application Layers.

5. In the Deskt op Type and PolicyDeskt op Type and Policy tab, specify the Desktop Type (Persistent or Non-persistent), and the connection

broker with which to integrate.

For Non-persistent desktops, you can use the Configure Power PolicyConfigure Power Policy button to specify the minimum number of

spare desktops to keep powered on and ready for users. Once you do, the Template Detail view tracks the number of

spare desktops available.


Note: Power Policy is available for Non-persistent desktops only, and you must specify a broker pool, group, or collection

specifically intended for shared desktops. This can be a VMware View manual floating pool, a Citrix XenDesktop shared

group, or an equivalent Pano Logic collection.

6. In the Deskt op Set t ingsDeskt op Set t ings tab, specify the virtual machines and desktop settings. If you leave a value blank in the

template, you can specify it when you create a desktop using the template.

a. CPU Sockets and Cores per Socket - You can select the number of CPU Sockets and Cores per Socket to assign to

the template. If you configure one of these settings, you must configure both. Valid combinations are those supported

by VMware vSphere for the hardware version of the Operating System Layer.

b. Memory - Specify the amount of memory, in megabytes, that you want to assign to desktops that use this template.

◾Divisible by 4.

◾Greater than or equal 256 MB.

◾Less than or equal to 65536 MB (64 GB).

c. Backup Frequency - How often to back up the desktop, and if applicable, the specif ic times of day.

◾1, 2, 3 or 4 times a day - Unidesk software creates backups for the specif ied number of times each day. If you choose

one of these options, also specify the times when you want the backups to occur.

◾Every Hour - Backups occur every hour, on the hour. For example, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, and so forth.

◾Never - Unidesk software never creates backups for the selected desktops.

d. Storage for User Data - The maximum size of disk storage to allocate to the data in the User Layer. This data includes

user-installed applications, custom settings, and user-created documents.

e. Page File Size - The size of the page f ile (virtual memory) as a percentage of the RAM allocated to the desktops that

use this template. The default size is 50% of the amount of RAM that you allocated to the desktop in the Desktop

Settings tab.

f . Core Dump Type - The type of core dump file you want the system to create when system problems occur. You can

specify None, Mini (to create a small, or mini-dump file), Kernel (to create a kernel memory dump file), or Full (to create a

full crash dump file). If you select Full, the size for the page f ile must be a minimum of 100%.

7. In the Icon AssignmentIcon Assignment tab, select an icon to assign to the template. This template displays this image in the Icon and

List views of the Templates module. To use an existing image, select an image in the image box. To import a new image,

click Browse and select an image in PNG or JPG format. For additional information about uploaded images, see Assign

icons.

8. In the Confirm and Complete tab, confirm the settings are correct, enter a comment if required, and click Create

Template.

You can override most t emplat e set t ingsYou can override most t emplat e set t ings

When creating a desktop using a template, you can specify different settings than the template defaults. These custom

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_desktops_and_templates/admin_icon_assign


settings override any settings or layer assignments that the saved template includes. For example, you can set a different

backup schedule for a desktop, and this new schedule will override the original backup schedule.

Settings that cannot be overridden

Although most settings can be overridden when using a template to create desktops, the following settings will be grayed

out:

Desktop Type - Once you've created a desktop using a template, you can never change the template's desktop type .

Desktop Power Policy - If you want to create desktops that use a different power policy than specif ied in the template,

you can edit this setting in Template Properties and then create the new desktops. The change will apply to any

desktops created using the new template version, but desktops created previously will not be changed.

Connection Broker - If you need to create desktops with different broker settings, you can change them in Template

Properties. Desktops you create after editing this setting will have the new broker setting. Any desktops that you

created previously, will not be moved to the new broker, and the power policy will only apply to those desktops once you

move them to the new pool/collection/group. You will need to move the desktops manually using the connection broker.


Create Persistent Desktops

Jun 28 , 2017

You can create one or more Persistent Desktops at a time in a broker pool or group, and you can do so with or without

using a Desktop template.

If you are using Windows 8.1, see the section below to improve login times.

NoteNote: When you create desktops for a VMware View pool, the software adds the desktops to an existing VMware View dedicated

manual pool. Or, you can create a new dedicated manual pool while you create the desktops. When you create desktops for a

VMware View pool, you select a pool and the number of desktops to create. By default, the software uses the name of the selected

pool as part of the name it generates for each desktop.

1. Select Deskt opsDeskt ops and then Creat e Deskt opCreat e Deskt op in the Action bar. The Create Desktop wizard opens.

2. (Optional) In the T emplat e Select ionT emplat e Select ion tab, you can choose a template to use as a starting point for your desktop(s).

3. In the User AssignmentUser Assignment tab, select a connection broker, one or more user(s), or a group to associate with the desktop.

Note: If Broker Integration and the pool or group are specif ied in the template, you have selected for this desktop,

these values are grayed out.

◾If you choose a connection broker, choose the pool, group, or catalog. For View floating pools and XenDesktop public

groups, the Desktop owner will be the pool/group.

◾ If you select more than one user or a group, a Desktop will be created for each user.

4. In the Deskt op Det ailsDeskt op Det ails tab, specify the assignment details for the desktop, including where to deploy the desktops, a

naming convention for them, and a network.

a. Cluster or Host - The cluster or server on which the desktop(s) will be hosted. Only ESX Hosts that are not in

maintenance mode are available for Desktop creation.

b. Generate Name Automatically - If you specify one or more users or a group (not a connection broker), you can check

this option to have Unidesk software generate the Desktop name(s).

c. Desktop Name or Convention Name:

◾Desktop Name - If you are not using a connection broker or generating the Desktop name automatically, you can type

the name in this f ield. The name must be unique to the host that you choose for the desktop. If the name exceeds 14

characters, the software truncates the name

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/deploy/create-desktops/create-persistent-desktops.html#improve-windows-8-1-logon


If you assigned a group or broker to the Desktop, the Convention Name field appears instead.

◾Convention Name - The naming scheme used to generate the desktop name(s). The default desktop naming

convention (FirstnameLastname) is f illed in for you. You can specify your own naming convention instead of using the

default. You can adjust this convention by selecting Custom and specifying an expression.

d. Description - (Optional) Enter anything you need to remember about the desktop(s).

e. Network - Choose a network for the desktop.

f . Desktop Type - Specify Persistent Desktop type.

Note: If the Desktop Type is specif ied in a template you have selected for this desktop, these values are grayed out.

5. In the OS Assignment OS Assignment tab, select the Operating System Layer to assign to the desktop.

To select an operating system version, expand it and select the version you want. By default, the software selects the

most recent version.

6. In the Applicat ion AssignmentApplicat ion Assignment tab, select the application layer(s) to add to the desktop. To select a specif ic version of

the application, expand it and select the version you want. By default, the software selects the most recent version.

7. In the Deskt op Set t ingsDeskt op Set t ings tab, specify the virtual machine settings.

◾CPU Sockets - Number of virtual processor sockets (vCPUs) that you want to allocate to the Desktop.

◾Cores per Socket - The number of cores per socket. Valid socket/core combinations are those supported by VMware

vSphere for the hardware version of the Operating System Layer.

◾Memory - Amount of memory (in megabytes) that you want to allocate to the desktop.

◾Divisible by 4.

◾Greater than or equal 256 MB.

◾Less than or equal to 65536 MB (64 GB).

◾Backup Frequency - How often to backup the desktop, and if applicable, the specif ic time(s) of day.

◾Storage for User Data - Space in GB to allow for this desktop's user data, above and beyond space allotted for

application data.

◾Page File Size - Percentage of memory to use for the page f ile size.

◾Core Dump Type - The type of core dump file you want the system to create when system problems occur. You can



◾Select the desktop type, either Persistent or Nonpersistent.


8. In the Maint enance ScheduleMaint enance Schedule tab, select a maintenance window for tasks that require the user to log off , for

example, adding a new layer version.

9. In the Conf irm and Complet eConf irm and Complet e tab, confirm the settings are correct, and click Creat e Deskt opCreat e Deskt op.

10. In the broker administrator, verify that the desktops were added correctly to the pool or group.

If the Agent software is not installed on the desktops, the status in the broker Administrator indicates that it is waiting

for the Agent.

I f t he VMware View connect ion server is unreachableIf t he VMware View connect ion server is unreachable

◾If the pool exists, the desktop deployment task (in the Task Bar) indicates that the deployment completed with

errors. The desktop Information View indicates that a pool assignment is pending, and Unidesk tries to add the

desktop to the pool the next time it is started.

◾If the pool does not yet exist, the deployment task fails. In this case, Unidesk does not create the desktops or the

pool.

If you want to speed up login times for either Persistent or Non-persistent Windows 8.1 Desktops, you can disable some of

the more costly and less necessary GUI actions.

Turn of f new user arrowsTurn of f new user arrows







Turn of f st art up animat ionTurn of f st art up animat ion






Disable boot log and boot animat ionDisable boot log and boot animat ion






Disable lock screenDisable lock screen


2. Select Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization

3. Set Do not display the lock screen to Enabled.






Create Non-persistent Desktops

Jun 28 , 2017

A non-persistent desktop in the Unidesk environment is a desktop that returns to a known state whenever a user logs out.

Users receive a new desktop every time they log in, and their changes are discarded when they log off.

Broker pool or group requirement sBroker pool or group requirement s

Before you create Non-persistent Desktops, use the broker administrator to create the pool or group. (Because VMware

View cannot create an empty pool, you need to use a dummy Desktop to create your pool, and then remove it.)

Create a Manual pool. Configure this pool to be a f loating-assignment pool.

Creat e Non-persist ent Deskt ops in a broker pool or groupCreat e Non-persist ent Deskt ops in a broker pool or group 1. Select Deskt ops Deskt ops and then Creat e Deskt opCreat e Deskt op in the Action bar. The Create Desktop wizard opens.

2. (Optional) In the T emplat e Select ionT emplat e Select ion tab, you can choose a template to use as a starting point for your desktop(s).

3. In the User AssignmentUser Assignment tab, select a connection broker, one or more user(s), or a group to associate with the desktop.

Note: If Broker Integration and the pool or group are specif ied in the template, you have selected for this desktop,

these values are grayed out.

◾If you choose a connection broker, choose the pool, group, or catalog. For View floating pools and XenDesktop public

groups, the Desktop owner will be the pool/group.

◾ If you select more than one user or a group, a Desktop will be created for each user.

4. In the Desktop Details tab, specify the virtual machine settings and desktop type.

a. Cluster or Host - The cluster or server on which the desktop(s) will be hosted. Only ESX Hosts that are not in

maintenance mode are available for Desktop creation.

b. Generate Name Automatically - If you specify one or more users or a group (not a connection broker), you can check

this option to have Unidesk software generate the Desktop name(s).

c. Desktop Name or Convention Name:

◾Desktop Name - If you are not using a connection broker or generating the Desktop name automatically, you can type

the name in this f ield. The name must be unique to the host that you choose for the desktop. If the name exceeds 14

characters, the software truncates the name. If you assigned a group or broker to the Desktop, the Convention Name

field appears instead.

◾Convention Name - The naming scheme used to generate the desktop name(s). The default desktop naming

convention (FirstnameLastname) is f illed in for you. You can specify your own naming convention instead of using the

default. You can adjust this convention by selecting Cust omCust om and specifying an expression.


d. Description - (Optional) Enter anything you need to remember about the desktop(s).

e. Network - Choose a network for the desktop.

f . Desktop Type - Specify Persistent Desktop type.

Note: If the Desktop Type is specif ied in a template you have selected for this desktop, these values are grayed out.

5. In the OS Assignment OS Assignment tab, select the Operating System Layer to assign to the desktop. To select an operating system

version, expand it and select the version you want. By default, the software selects the most recent version.

6. In the Applicat ion AssignmentApplicat ion Assignment tab, select the application layer(s) to add to the desktop. To select a specif ic version of

the application, expand it and select the version you want. By default, the software selects the most recent version.

7. In the Deskt op Set t ingsDeskt op Set t ings tab, specify the virtual machine settings.

◾CPU Sockets - Number of virtual processor sockets (vCPUs) that you want to allocate to the Desktop.

◾Cores per Socket - The number of cores per socket. Valid socket/core combinations are those supported by VMware

vSphere for the hardware version of the Operating System Layer.

◾Memory - Amount of memory (in megabytes) that you want to allocate to the desktop.

◾Divisible by 4.

◾Greater than or equal 256-MB.

◾Less than or equal to 65536-MB (64-GB).

◾Backup Frequency - How often to backup the desktop, and if applicable, the specif ic time(s) of day.

◾Storage for User Data - Space in GB to allow for this desktop's user data, above and beyond space allotted for

application data.

◾Page File Size - Percentage of memory to use for the page f ile size.

◾Core Dump Type - The type of core dump file you want the system to create when system problems occur. You can



◾Select the desktop type, either Persistent or Nonpersistent.

8. In the Maint enance ScheduleMaint enance Schedule tab, select a maintenance window for tasks that require the user to log off , for

example, adding a new layer version.

9. In the Conf irm and Complet eConf irm and Complet e tab, confirm the settings are correct, and click Creat e Deskt opCreat e Deskt op.

10. In the broker administrator, verify that the desktops were added correctly to the pool or group.


If the Agent software is not installed on the desktops, the status in the broker Administrator indicates that it is waiting

for the Agent.

I f t he VMware View connect ion server is unreachableIf t he VMware View connect ion server is unreachable

◾If the pool exists, the desktop deployment task (in the Task Bar) indicates that the deployment completed with

errors. The desktop Information View indicates that a pool assignment is pending, and Unidesk tries to add the

desktop to the pool the next time it is started.

◾If the pool does not yet exist, the deployment task fails. In this case, Unidesk does not create the desktops or the

pool.

About Deskt op Power ManagementAbout Deskt op Power Management

You can set the minimum number of Non-persistent desktops to keep powered on and ready for use, and then track the

number of spare desktops available. During hours of heavy use, if there are not enough desktops to meet the minimum

number of unassigned desktops that you've set, you will receive warning messages to tell you if there aren't enough

unassigned desktops to meet the minimum.

Example: Deskt op Power PolicyExample: Deskt op Power Policy

For example, if you have 100 desktops in a lab, you can configure the power policy so that there are 20 spare desktops

powered on and ready for use at all times.If users are logged into 81 desktops, you'll receive a message to let you know

that there aren't enough unassigned desktops to keep 20 spares powered on. By default, the desktop power policy is off

(not set).

To configure a desktop power policy, you will need to:

Create a template with the correct Power Policy.

Create the desktops using this template.

Configure the minimum number of unassigned desktops to keep powered on and ready for use.

Configure the connection broker correctly.

The following sections detail the steps for creating desktops governed by a power policy.

Creat e a t emplat e wit h t he correct power policyCreat e a t emplat e wit h t he correct power policy

Create a template that meets the following requirements:

The Desktop Type must be Non-persistent.

Broker Integration must be specif ied, and with it a pool/group designed specif ically for non-persistent, reusable

desktops:

Manual Floating Pool (VMware View), a Shared Group (Citrix XenDesktop), or the equivalent Collection type (Pano Logic),

.

To create the template:

1. Select Layers > Templates > Create Template.

2. Complete the Create Template wizard as usual.


3. On the Desktop Type and Policy tab:

a. Choose the Desktop Type Nonpersistent. A power policy is only available for nonpersistent desktops.

b. To integrate with a connection broker, select a Broker, and choose a f loating pool, shared group, or your broker's

equivalent collection designed for non-persistent desktops.

c. Click Configure Power Policy, select Keep at least ... unassigned desktops powered on and available for users, and

specify the minimum number of desktop spares.

4. Complete the remaining tabs, and create the template.

Use t he t emplat e t o creat e deskt ops governed by t his power policyUse t he t emplat e t o creat e deskt ops governed by t his power policy

1. Select Desktop > Create Desktop.

2. On the Template Selection tab, choose the template (the template that has the correct Power Policy).

3. On the User Assignment tab, the broker and pool should be the same as specif ied in the template.

4. On the Desktop Details tab, the Desktop Type should be Nonpersist entNonpersist ent , as specif ied in the template.

5. Complete the remaining tabs, and create the Desktops.

Track t he number of spare deskt opsTrack t he number of spare deskt ops

To see how many spare desktops are powered on and ready for use:

1. Select Layers > Templates.

2. Select the template associated with the View Pool or XenDesktop Group whose spare desktops you want to track, and

click the i for detailed information.

3. Check the Desktop Power Policy settings at the bottom of the panel for the Minimum Number of Spares configured,

and the Actual Number of Spares available.

Configure Power Management settings in the Unidesk Management Console and in your connection broker. The next

section explains how.

Configure t he Connect ion Broker f or Unidesk-based Deskt op Power ManagementConfigure t he Connect ion Broker f or Unidesk-based Deskt op Power Management

Assuming that you’ve configured Floating-Assignment pools for power management within Unidesk and you’ve set a

minimum number of desktops to keep powered on and ready for users:

Configure VMware for Unidesk-based Desktop Power Management

1. Set the VMware Remote Desktop Power Policy to T ake no power act ionT ake no power act ion.

2. Configure VMware View Floating-Assignment pools.

Use the View Administrator to configure the pool settings.


Configure.. .Configure.. . Setting.. .Setting.. .

Pool Type Manual Pool

User Assignment Floating Assignment

Desktop Source vCenter

Remote Desktop Power Policy Take no power action

Configure XenDeskt op Shared Deskt op groupsConfigure XenDeskt op Shared Deskt op groups

Assuming that you’ve configured Shared Desktop Groups for power management within Unidesk and you’ve set a minimum

number of desktops to keep powered on and ready for users:

1. Automate Shared Desktop Group Creation.

Use the Citrix PowerShell interface to create a Shared Desktop Group, configuring Desktop Power Management

settings as you do.

2. For any existing Shared Desktop Groups, modify the Power Management commands using the following PowerShell

commands:

For a Shared Desktop Group in Unidesk 2.5, the setting called AutomaticPowerOnForAssigned is ignored. This is used

only for Private Groups. Therefore, the way to disable power management for a shared group is to set the pool size to -

1 for all times of day in the Power Scheme.

#First Get the Desktop Group by name

$DTGID = Set-DesktopBrokerGroup "Call Center Desktop"

#Now Modify the PowerTimeScheme to disable power management for each time period. Substitute settings that

match your power management time scheme. If you are not sure of the name you can use the

#Get-BrokerPowerTimeScheme CMDLET

set-brokerpowertimescheme -Name "Call Center Desktop_Weekdays" -DisplayName 'Weekdays' -DaysOfWeek

Weekdays -DesktopGroupUid $DTGID.uid -PoolSize (1..24|%{-1})

set-brokerpowertimescheme -Name "Call Center Desktop_Weekend" -DisplayName 'Weekend' -DaysOfWeek Weekend

-DesktopGroupUid $DTGID.uid -PoolSize (1..24|%{-1})

3. Create a Shared Desktop Group using PowerShell commands. Modify the following commands to suit your needs. Check

all bolded entries to see if they should be modif ied.


#Name the Desktop Group

$DTG = "Unidesk-Shared"

#Create Shared Desktop Group

new-brokerdesktopgroup $DTG -PublishedName $DTG -DesktopKind Shared

#Set T ime zone for Desktop Group

set-brokerdesktopgroup $DTG -TimeZone "Eastern Standard Time"

#Get the desktop group object

$DTGID = get-brokerdesktopgroup $DTG

#Create an Access Policy for this group Not Via Access Gateway

new-brokeraccesspolicyrule -name "Unidesk-Shared _NotViaAG" -AllowedConnections NotViaAG -AllowedProtocols

@('RDP','HDX') -AllowedUsers AnyAuthenticated -Enabled $true -AllowRestart $true -IncludedSmartAccessFilterEnabled

$true -IncludedDesktopGroupFilter $true -IncludedDesktopGroups $DTGID

# Create an Access Policy for this group Via Access Gateway

new-brokeraccesspolicyrule -name "Unidesk-Shared _ViaAG" -AllowedConnections ViaAG -AllowedProtocols

@('RDP','HDX') -AllowedUsers AnyAuthenticated -Enabled $true -AllowRestart $true -IncludedSmartAccessFilterEnabled

$true -IncludedDesktopGroupFilter $true -IncludedDesktopGroups $DTGID

#To entitle a User Group to the AD users you want to be able to provide access to. Should be an AD group

new-brokerEntitlementPolicyRule -name "Unidesk-Shared_Users_EP" -DesktopGroupUid $DTGID.uid -IncludedUsers

("YourDomain\Unidesk Users") -PublishedName " Unidesk-Shared _Users_EP"

#To Create a New PowerTimeScheme and assign it to the Group

new-brokerpowertimescheme -Name "Unidesk-Shared_Weekdays" -DisplayName 'Weekdays' -DaysOfWeek Weekdays -

DesktopGroupUid $DTGID.uid -PoolSize (1..24|%{-1}) -PeakHours (-1..23 | %{$_ -gt 7 -and $_ -lt 2-1})

new-brokerpowertimescheme -Name "Unidesk-Shared_Weekend" -DisplayName 'Weekend' -DaysOfWeek Weekend -

DesktopGroupUid $DTGID.uid -PoolSize (1..24|%{-1}) -PeakHours (-1..23 | %{$_ -gt 7 -and $_ -lt 2-1})

OPT ION 1: Allow an Aut ologon UserOPT ION 1: Allow an Aut ologon User

One way to speed up user logins into Windows 8.1 Non-persistent Desktops is to use the Unidesk Optimizer.exe when

preparing the gold image (or when creating a new version of an existing Operating System Layer) to allow an Autologon


User. When you run the Optimizer, select the check box B B in the top section to allow an Aut ologon Userallow an Aut ologon User. This will add

some time to the initial Desktop creation, but it will greatly speed up every Desktop login for all users.

OPT ION 2: Disable t he Microsof t App Readiness serviceOPT ION 2: Disable t he Microsof t App Readiness service

One way to reduce the time it takes to sign into Windows 8.1 at the Welcome Screen is to disable the Microsoft App

Readiness service, which in turn disables the Windows Store. This achieves almost the same savings as removing the

Windows Store Apps (described in the next option), and allows you to turn the service back on at a later date, if you decide

you want users to have any of the bundled Windows Store Apps.

1. Use msconfig's Select ive St art upSelect ive St art up.

2. Under the ServicesServices tab uncheck App ReadinessApp Readiness .

Whenever you do a Windows Update, you'll need to turn this service back on during the update.

OPT ION 3: Removing bundled Windows St ore Apps t o speed up first -login t imesOPT ION 3: Removing bundled Windows St ore Apps t o speed up first -login t imes

An optional step, but an important consideration for Non-persistent Desktops, is removing the bundled Windows Store

Apps from the Windows 8.1 gold. During our testing we found we could significantly reduce login times on Non-persistent

Desktops by removing these apps.

Removing the bundled Windows Store apps does not disable the store, as does the previous option, so you can still use it.

And, if users require one or more of the originally bundled Windows Store apps, they can reinstall the application from the

Windows Store.

If you do decide to remove the bundled applications, it 's a good idea to do this in a separate OS Layer that you create for

Non-persistent Desktops.

To remove the bundled Windows Store Apps from Windows 8.1:

1. Use the following Powershell command to remove any bundled Windows Store Apps:

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage

2. To prevent these apps from being reinstalled when the next user logs in, enter this Powershell command to remove the

provisioning for them:

Get-AppXProvisionedPackage -online | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -online.

If you want to speed up login times for both Persistent and Non-persistent Windows 8.1 Desktops, you can disable some

of the more costly and less necessary GUI actions.

Turn of f new user arrowsTurn of f new user arrows








Turn of f st art up animat ionTurn of f st art up animat ion






Disable boot log and boot animat ionDisable boot log and boot animat ion





Disable lock screenDisable lock screen


2. Select Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization

3. Set Do not display the lock screen to Enabled.






Back up appliances

Jun 28 , 2017

Assuming you have scheduled your Desktops for backup, you can fully restore your environment as long as you also back up

these two key appliances:

Management Appliance (MA)

Master CachePoint Appliance (MCP)

It is not necessary to back up your Secondary CachePoint Appliances.

To back up your MA and MCP, you'll need to download and install the Unidesk Backup Utility. For details, see the following

topics:

Install the Unidesk Backup Utility

Back up the Unidesk MA and MCP


Administer

Jun 28 , 2017

Administer


Unidesk Layers

Desktops



Users and groups


Get notif ied of CachePoint service issues

Monitor tasks

Open ports in your f irewall for Unidesk

Logging





http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/unidesk-management-console.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/manage-layers.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/desktops.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/appliance-backup-utility.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/unidesk-broker-agent.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/users-and-groups.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/monitor-unidesk-virtual-appliances.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/get-notified-of-cachepoint-service-issues.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/monitor-tasks.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/open-ports-in-your-firewall-for-unidesk.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/logging.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/vmware-hosts-and-datastores-.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/move--migrate--appliances-and-desktops-.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/generate-unidesk-reports.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/administer/delete-unidesk-components.html



Jun 28 , 2017

The Unidesk Management Console is a Web-based management application on the Management Appliance that you use

to manage the Unidesk environment. The Unidesk Management Console lets you:

Create and manage virtual desktops for users.

Create and manage operating system and application layers.

Shut down and restart virtual desktops.

Create backups of desktops that you can use to restore a desktop to a previous state.

Manage users and groups who you can assign to virtual desktops.

Manage system settings.

To manage items in the Unidesk system, you navigate between different modules in the Unidesk Management Console and

select the appropriate actions. This topic explains how to do the following tasks:

To manage the items in a module, select the module in the menu bar. You can select the following modules:

Desktops - allows you to manage desktops. A desktop is the virtual machine that a user interacts with on their local

computer.

Layers - allows you to manage Operating System and Application Layers. Operating System and Application Layers are

components in a desktop. This module also allows you to manage desktop templates. You can use templates to deploy

standard configurations to desktops.

Users - allows you to manage local and directory service users, including administrators, in the Unidesk system. It also

allows you to organize users into groups.

System - allows you to perform tasks related to managing and using the Unidesk system.

Menu bar example

The following image shows an example of the items in the menu bar.

After selecting a module, the Action bar displays the actions associated with the selected module and selected objects. If

you do not select an object, only the Create actions are enabled.

To select an action, complete either of the following tasks:

To create a new item, select the create action in the Action bar.

To modify or manage an existing item, select it and select the appropriate action in the Action bar.

Action bar example

The following image shows an example of the Action bar when the Layers module is the selected module and a layer is

selected. In this example, you can create a layer, modify the selected item, add a version to it, delete it, or change its priority.


The Finalize action is not active because you need to start to create an Application Layer or add a version first.

Tool bar example

The tool bar provides options that allow you to change the view for each module.

Refresh: Refreshes the displayed view with the most current information.

List view: Displays a text-based list of desktops or layers that match the selected sort category.

Icon view: Displays icons representing desktops or layers that match the selected sort category.

Sort list: Organizes the display by a selected category.The categories change depending on the selected module.

View flagged items: Displays a collection of all desktops or layers that are f lagged and match the selected sort category.

The number value indicates the number of objects in the collection.

Search: Lets you search for items in the selected module.

More about List view

The List view displays a list of information about items in the following modules:

Desktops

Layers

Templates

System > Installation Machines

To display the List view, click in the tool bar.

List view for desktops and Installation Machines

Unidesk component information

List view for layers and templates

More about Icon view

The Icon view displays icons for each item in the following modules:

Desktops

Layers

System > Installation Machines

To display the Icon view, click in the tool bar. The Icon view is the default view.

The following diagram identifies the types of information that an icon displays.

View user assignments for desktops in VMware View pools


When you create desktops for VMware View pools, the Unidesk Management Console displays the pool name as the

original user name assigned to the desktop.

For example, if you created a desktop in a pool named MJA-MA1, the desktop icon in the Desktops module would display

MJA-MA as the desktop user name, if no user is assigned to the desktop.

Because the pool is a persistent pool, the first time a user logs in to the desktop, the View Connection Server assigns the

desktop to that user. When the Unidesk Management Console synchronizes its information with the View Connection

Server, the Unidesk Management Console changes the user name in the Desktop icon and list views to display the name of

the assigned user.

If the assigned owner is a user who is imported into the Unidesk directory tree (for example, a member of a known

Directory Junction), the Information view for the user displays the name of the pool desktop that is assigned to that user.

To see user assignments for desktops in VMware pools, look at the following views:

The icon or list view in the Desktops module.

If the user is imported into the Unidesk tree, open the Information view for the user.

Open the Information view for the desktop.

If you think that the displayed user assignments for VMware View pools is incorrect, you can wait for the automatic

synchronization with the View Connection Server to occur (once every three hours) or you can synchronize the information

with the View Connection Server manually.

The following table describes the types of information and messages that you can view in an icon.

Displayed in the Desktop icon view only.

Name of the desktop owner, logged in user, or View pool or Xen group (when no one is logged in). A desktop that is

owned by a specific user, always displays the owner. Desktops owned by group (AD or Unidesk) or by a pool (View pool or

Xen group), show the logged in user, or the group or pool when no one is logged in.

The status of a desktop, Installation Machine, or layer.

Displays additional information about the item including status, configuration, and audit details.

The software displays the information button in the following ways:

If an alert is active, the software displays the button and its color changes to orange. Click it to display the alert

information.

If an alert is not active, hover the mouse cursor on the icon to display the button. Click the button to display the

Information view.

Desktop Alerts

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_appliances/admin_vmids_synchronize


The software displays an alert when any of the following conditions exist for a desktop:

A deployment is scheduled to start after a specif ic time.

The desktop is using a configuration that does not match one that is assigned to the desktop. This situation occurs

when a change to the desktop configuration occurred but the desktop has not restarted yet. Changes to desktop

configurations do not take effect until the desktop restarts.

If selected (the color of the Flag changes to green), the item is flagged - it is part of a temporary collection of items.

To display the Flag, hover the mouse cursor on the icon.

Organize layers and desktops into temporary collections

You can organize desktops and layers into temporary collections that you can view quickly without having to search or

scroll through a page in the application. These temporary collections exist only until you log out of the Unidesk

Management Console.

For example, if you want to work with a group of desktops that use the Windows XP operating system, you can create a

collection of these items. Or, if you create a new Application Layer and deploy it to a department's desktops, you can flag

those desktops in case you need to make adjustments after the users start the updated desktops.

Use the flag check box to create a temporary collection of desktops, Operating System Layers, Application Layers, or

Installation Machines.

To create a collection of flagged items, complete the following steps:

1. In the icon view, hover the mouse cursor on a desktop, layer, or Installation Machine icon to display the flag check box. In

list view, locate the checkbox next to the item you want to add to the collection. The following illustration shows an

example of the flag check box:

2. Select the f lag check box to place the item in a collection. The color of the f lag check box is green when it is selected.

1. Select a module and click in the tool bar to display the f lagged items in the module.

2. To return to the main display, click .

3. To remove all items from a collection of f lagged items, click in the tool bar.

You can find information about using the product, or contact Unidesk for help by using the links and Search field on the top

right side of the menu bar:

Help linkHelp link – Opens the UMC Help, which explains Unidesk concepts, and includes detailed How To's.

Search support f ieldSearch support f ield – Does a full-text search of Unidesk support information, and displays the results in a browser.

Support information includes a Knowledge base of troubleshooting information, along with in-depth explanations of

how the product works and how it integrates with other software.


Support linkSupport link – Opens the Unidesk Support home page in a browser.


Change the Administrator password

Jun 28 , 2017

Use these steps to change the password for the original Administrator account created for the Unidesk Management

Console.

1. Log into the Unidesk Management Console.

2. Select User > Administ rat orsUser > Administ rat ors .

3. In the list of Administrators select Administ rat orAdminist rat or and click Edit Propert iesEdit Propert ies .

4. Enter the new password and type it again in the Conf irm PasswordConf irm Password f ield.

5. On the Confirm and Complete tab, click Update User.


Upload the Unidesk License

Jun 28 , 2017

If you receive a message that you need a license when you start the Unidesk Management Console, there are two options

for getting the license. You can upload the license directly from the Unidesk website, or obtain a license file from Unidesk

Support, and upload the license from a local drive on the Unidesk Management Appliance.

1. In the License Expired message, Click License.

2. If your Management Appliance has web access:

1. Select the f irst choice, Download your license f rom t he Unidesk websit eDownload your license f rom t he Unidesk websit e .

2. Enter your credentials for the Unidesk website.

3. If your Management Appliance does not have web access:

1. Obtain a license f ile from Unidesk Sales or Support, and move the f ile to a drive that the Management Appliance can

access.

2. Select the second choice, Upload your license f ile f rom a local driveUpload your license f ile f rom a local drive .

3. Click BrowseBrowse , and select the license f ile.

4. On the Confirm Your License tab, click Finish.

5. You can return to the Licensing wizard at any time by clicking AboutAbout , and then the LicenseLicense tab.


Unidesk tasks

Jun 28 , 2017

Every time you complete an action that affects the contents or state of a desktop or layer, you initiate a task that you

can monitor in the Task bar. For example, if you add a version to a layer or shut down a desktop, the Task bar displays a task

for that action.

T ask t ypeT ask t ype

User tasksMost tasks are tasks that an administrator initiates. You can filter the Task view to see only the tasks

that the currently logged-in user initiated or you can view tasks that all users initiated.

System

tasks

Tasks that occur automatically, for example, synchronization with a directory service, are system tasks.

Because a system task is not a task that the current user initiates, you must display the All Users view to

see these tasks in the Task bar.

Interrupted

tasks

If a system or connectivity occurs, the software maintains information about the state of active tasks

before the interruption occurred. When the problem resolves, the software tries to complete all

interrupted tasks.

The Task bar displays information about the status of tasks. This includes tasks that are running, and those that have

completed; tasks initiated by the logged in user, or tasks belonging to all users, including the system. System tasks are tasks

that result from scheduled backups and maintenance.

Task status bar, minimized

A minimized Task status bar is displayed across the bottom of the console.

T askT askst at usst at us

barbar

Task in

progressA rolling marquee of recently completed tasks.

Status

indicator

The color icon next to each task indicates whether the task is progressing or completed normally, or if there

are issues with it. For details, see the Status Indicator table below.

Expander

tabOpens and closes the expanded view of Task status.

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/task_bar.png


St at us Indicat or St at us Indicat or

Progressing or completed normally.

Starting

Running

Done

Requires action or completed with errors.

Action Required

Done with Errors

Failed

Task status bar, expanded

When you click the Expander tab to open the Task status bar, a list of the tasks in progress and recently completed is

displayed. By default, this includes tasks for all users, including the system. Tasks owned by the system include scheduled

backup and maintenance tasks.

You can change the Task listing by sorting, filtering, and hiding the tasks included in the grid.

Sort ing,Sort ing,f ilt ering, andf ilt ering, andhiding t askshiding t asks

Sorting Click any column title to display tasks based on that category in ascending or descending order.

Filters Select a T asksT asks f ilter and a UsersUsers f ilter to control which tasks are displayed. For Filter details, see thetable below.

Show Hidden

Tasks

Hidden tasks are any running tasks whose Hide check boxes are selected. By default, all system tasksare marked Hide. When you deselect the Show Hidden Tasks checkbox, any tasks marked Hide areexcluded from the list.

Filters on the Task status bar

Filt ersFilt ers

Toggle switch shows:

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/task_status_expanded.png


All tasks currently or recently running, stopped, or completed.

Completed tasks only.

Toggle switch shows:

Tasks for the logged in user only.

Tasks for all users, including the system.

Task status details

To see more information about a task, for example what is happening during a desktop rebuild, you can open a detailed

status window on the task.

Click the Info button next to the task to open a window with details on Task status.

The task status details window lists any subtasks required to complete a task. Like the Task status bar, you can reorganize

the list by clicking any of the column titles.

You can cancel subtasks individually or all at once:

Cancel subt asksCancel subt asks

Cancel individual subtasks, for example, one of many desktop backups.

Cancel All subtasks that are not yet completed.

Most tasks include one or more subtasks. While a task is in progress, you can cancel one or more subtasks, for example, if a

system problem occurs and the subtask is unlikely to complete.

1. Open the Task bar and view the active tasks.

2. Open the information view for a task (click .)

3. Click next to the subtask you want to cancel (in some cases, the information view displays more than one subtask .

4. When the subtask stops, the Task bar changes its status to Failed.

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/task_status_details.png


Log into a Unidesk virtual machine using the OpenConsole

Jun 28 , 2017

For quick access to desktops, Installation Machines, Operating System Layers, or Application Layers, you can launch an

Open Console window from the Unidesk Management Console. The Unidesk Management Console uses Remote Desktop

Protocol (RDP) to open an Open Console window for the Desktop or Installation Machine you specify. If you access an

Operating System or Application Layer, the console connects to the virtual machine for the appropriate Installation

Machine.

Before you can use the Open Console feature, the remote machine must meet the following requirements.

Prerequisit ePrerequisit e Descript ionDescript ion

Remote Access

enabled

The gold image for the desktop or Installation Machine must have Remote Access enabled:

In the Syst em Propert iesSyst em Propert ies dialog box, under Remot e Deskt opRemot e Deskt op, click one of the options to allow

connections from other computers, and then click OKOK

Virtual machine

operational

Whether accessing a Desktop, Installation Machine, or a layer, you will ultimately connect to a

Desktop or Installation Machine, and it must be in one of these states:

In Use — The Desktop is in use by a Unidesk user.

Running — The Desktop is ready for use.

The following table explains how to use Open Console to access a Desktop, Installation Machine, Operating System Layer,

or Application Layer.

1. Access Open Console:

For...For... Use...Use...

Desktop Desktops > Open Console

Installation Machine System > Installation Machines > Open Console

Operating System Layer's Installation Machine Layers > Operating System Layer > Open Console

Application Layer's Installation Machine Layers > Application Layer > Open Console


2. Depending on your Web browser settings, you might need to change the security settings to proceed.

3. In the Open Console window, enter your login credentials for the desktop or Installation Machine. This opens the

console window.


Types of user views

Jun 28 , 2017

The user views let you view and manage both local users and groups that you create using the Unidesk Management

Console, and users from a remote directory service.

With regard to remote directory service users, you can add these users to local groups or assign roles to them. To change

the attributes for these users, you must change them on the remote directory server.

The Unidesk Management Console includes several ways to view and edit users.

ViewView Descript ionDescript ion Act ionsAct ions

Tree

The Tree view displays folders for users and groups.

You can add folders to any existing folder in the directory tree, including

the root folder.

Directory service users and groups

This view also displays users and groups from directory services if you add

them to the Unidesk directory tree.

In this view, you can:

Create a local user.

Create a local group.

Create a folder in the

tree view.

Delete a selected

object.

Edit a selected object.

Add a user or group to

another group.

Users

The Users view displays all local users and the groups to which they

belong.

This view displays users from a remote directory service if any of the

following conditions exist:

A desktop is currently assigned to a user or was assigned to the user

at some time in the past.

The user is a member of a local group.

The user has administrative privileges.



Create a local group.

Delete a local user.

Edit a local user.

Administrators

The Administrators view displays all users who have Administrator

privileges assigned to them.



Delete a local user.

Edit a local user.

Directory

Service

The Directory Service view displays the connections to remote directory

services.


Create a directory

junction.

Edit a directory junction.


Delete a directory

junction.


Unidesk Layers

Jun 28 , 2017

Layers are components that the Unidesk software uses to deliver a complete virtual desktop to an end user. You can create

and manage the following types of layers:

Operating System Layer - The Operating System Layer contains the operating system that the software imports from a

gold image. It can also include configuration settings, printer settings, applications (for example, anti-virus software), and

all other aspects of the gold image at the time of import.

Application Layers - Application Layers contain software programs that you can deploy to any desktop with the

compatible operating system. A Layer can also include patches or plug-ins for programs.

User Layer - The User Layer contains a user's personalized data; applications, configuration settings, and data. When you

create a desktop, the software creates this layer. As users modify their desktop, the desktop stores all of their changes

in the User Layer associated with their desktop.

The following table provides details about each phase in the creation process for Operating System Layers.

PhasePhase Descript ionDescript ion

Preparethe goldimage

You prepare a gold image that is optimized for the Unidesk environment and includes an answer file for

unattended setup on each Desktop.

Create theLayer

You use the Create Operating System Layer wizard to create the Operating System Layer, specify the

gold image, and associate an icon with the Layer.

The Boot image is created. The Unidesk software imports the operating system, configuration settings,

and applications from the specified gold image and uses them to create a bootable image.

The following table provides details about each phase in the creation process for Application Layers.

PhasePhase Descript ionDescript ion

Create theApplicationLayer

You use the Create Layer wizard to specify the operating system required for the application, select any

prerequisite applications that the layer requires, and choose the icon for the layer.

Install theapplications

The software prepares the Installation Machine, and prompts you to install the applications. Then you

log into the Installation Machine using your virtual infrastructure management tools or a remote desktop

connection, and install any prerequisite applications.

Finalize the

In the Create Layer wizard, you finalize the Layer, and the software creates a bootable image that

contains the applications, settings, and content that you installed on the Installation Machine. The


Layer Unidesk software also performs an orderly shut down of the Installation Machine and returns it to a non-

bootable state.

The Unidesk Management Console displays the status of Layers in the Icon and List views of the Layers modules, as well as

in the Information view for the Layer. Following are the status messages for layers that the software displays in the Task

bar, the Icon view,

St at usSt at us Descript ionDescript ion

Not

deployable

The layer is not ready for assignment to desktops.

Either the software is in the process of preparing the layer for deployment or a system problem occurred

that is preventing the layer from becoming deployable.

Check the status in the Task bar and in the layer's information view for additional information about the

layer's status.

Editing

The software is in the process of creating or changing the layer.

If you are creating an Application Layer, this status usually indicates that the system is waiting for you to

install the application on an Installation Machine and finalize the layer.

Deployable The layer is ready for assignment to desktops.

The following table describes the status messages for layer versions. To see these status messages, open the Information

view for the layer.

St at usSt at us Descript ionDescript ion

Waiting to

Edit

One of these conditions exist:

Application Layers - The software is preparing the Installation Machine for installation of the

application.

Operating System Layers - The software is importing the f iles from a gold image before it creates the

bootable image.

EditingThis status applies to new Application Layers and all layer versions that you add. The software is waiting

for an administrator to install the software on an Installation Machine.

FinalizingThis status applies to Application Layers and all layer versions. The software is importing the application


software into the layer.

Deployable The layer is available for use when you create desktops and Application Layers.

When you create or edit a desktop, you assign an Operating System Layer and, optionally, Application Layers to it. The

Unidesk software assigns priorities to each assigned layer and applies them in order, from the lowest priority to the highest.

In some situations, the order in which you install applications can cause conflicts to occur on the desktop. To address these

issues, the Unidesk Management Console allows you to change the order in which the software applies layers when it

composites a desktop.

Priorit yPriorit y LayerLayer

High UserThe User Layer always has the highest priority - the software applies this layer last. The

contents of the User Layer overwrites files or settings from previously-applied layers.

Application

The software sets priorities on Application Layers based on the layer creation time. The newest

Application Layers have a higher priority than older layers. This action also applies to specific

versions of Application Layers.

For example, if you assign two Application Layer versions to a desktop, one that you created

yesterday and one that you created today, the software applies the Application Layer version

that you created yesterday first because it has a lower priority.

If Application Layers use the same settings or files, the Application Layer with the higher priority

(the newer layer) overwrites these settings or files only. Applying the higher-priority layer first

does not affect any files or settings from the lower-priority layer that are different from the

ones that the higher-priority layer uses.

LowOperatingSystem

Operating System Layers always have the lowest priority. The software always applies theOperating System Layer to the desktop f irst. Any changes from a higher-priority Application orUser Layer overwrites settings or f iles that exist in the Operating System Layer.

Application priority selection

If you know that a lower-priority Application Layer must take precedence over a higher-priority Application Layer, the Layers

> Change Layer Priority action lets you change the priorities of the Application Layers. You can change the order of all

versions associated with an Application Layer, or you can change the priority for specific versions for selected Application

Layers. For details, see Manage Layer priorities.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_application_layers/troubleshoot_app_layering


Assign the new version of an OS Layer to Desktops

Jun 28 , 2017

You can assign the new version of an Operating System Layer to one or more Desktops, as described below.

Note: Desktops are locked to the OS layer on which they were created. You cannot switch a Desktop to a different

operating system layer, even if the Layer has the same OS as the one on which the Desktop was created.

1. Add the version you want to deploy to an existing Operating System Layer.

2. Click the Desktops module, and select the Desktop to deploy to.

3. Select Edit Desktops in the Action bar. This opens the Edit Desktop wizard.

4. In the Operating System Layer tab, select the version of the operating system that you want to use.

5. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the details are correct, enter a comment if required, and click Update

Desktop.


6. Restart the desktops that you updated to have the changes take effect.

1. Add the version you want to deploy to an existing Operating System Layer.

2. Select Desktops and then select one or more desktops that you want to upgrade.

3. Select the Edit Desktops action in the Action bar.

Result: This action opens the Edit Desktop wizard.

4. In the OS Assignment tab, select the operating system and version that you want to assign to the desktops.

5. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the details are correct, enter a comment if required, and click Update

Desktop.

6. Restart the Desktops that you updated to have the changes take effect.


Update an Operating System Layer

Jun 28 , 2017

To upgrade an operating system, add a new version to the Operating System Layer. When you assign the Operating

System Layer to a desktop, you can select the new version that you created.

Ensure that the following items are available:

An Installation Machine.

The installation program for the service pack or operating system upgrade.

Optionally, shut down the desktop you are changing. Changing the operating system requires the software to create a

new bootable image for the desktop. The desktop must be in a stopped state for this task to complete. You can choose

to restart the desktops after you f inish the application assignment.

1. Select Layers > OS Layers and then select the Operating System Layer for which you are adding a new Version.

2. Select Add Version in the Action bar. This opens the Add Version wizard.

3. In the Version Details tab, enter a version identifier and select an Installation Machine.

4. If you want a script to run the first time the user runs this operating system version, enter a version description and a

path for the script.

5. In the Confirm and Complete tab, review the version details, enter a comment if required, and click Finish. If you enter

comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.

6. Monitor this task in the Task bar. When prompted to do so, install the new operating system service pack or upgrade on


7. After installing the service pack or upgrade, select the Operating System Layer and select Finalize in the Action bar.

After you create the new version, assign it to the Desktops that require the operating system upgrade. You must restart

the Desktops before the changes take effect.





























ngen update /force


Not e:Not e: It’s okay if you see several compilation failed messages!






pause.



ngen queue status



https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_layers/admin_os_add_version#Complete_MS_NGen_Operations






User permissionsUser permissions - When an Application Layer that has a Run Once script runs for the first time, Microsoft Windows




New Layer VersionsNew Layer Versions - When you create a new Layer Version, the new Version does not inherit the script from the


Version.

RunOnce regist ry keyRunOnce regist ry key - When a Run Once script runs on a Desktop, the operating system adds an entry to the







Upgrade an application

Jun 28 , 2017

You can upgrade an application by installing a new version of is on a new Application Layer Version. An Application Layer can

include several Layer Versions, each containing a different application version. You can deploy different Layer Versions to

selected desktops.

Before you start

You'll need:

A compatible Installation Machine.

The installation program for the new version of the application.

Application Layers that the new version requires (prerequisite layers.)

If applications affect boot-level components

Installing applications such as service packs, hot fixes, and antivirus applications can affect boot-level components, which

means you'll need to restart the Installation Machine. This will generate a system task to rebuild the Desktop's boot image.

Once Unidesk rebuilds the boot image, it shuts down the Installation Machine copies the boot-level components to the

boot volume, and restarts the Installation Machine. You can then finalize the layer or version.

Note: If the Installation Machine restarts before the boot image rebuild is complete, you will see a STOP message screen.

This is temporary.





User permissionsUser permissions - When an Application Layer that has a Run Once script runs for the first time, Microsoft Windows




New Layer VersionsNew Layer Versions - When you create a new Layer Version, the new Version does not inherit the script from the


Version.

RunOnce regist ry keyRunOnce regist ry key - When a Run Once script runs on a Desktop, the operating system adds an entry to the




To set a Run Once script for a Layer or Layer Version:

1. Add the script file to the Installation Machine you are using to create the Layer or Layer Version.



Not e:Not e: To see whether a Layer Version already has a Run Once script configured, check by opening the Layer's

Information view and expand the Version entries.

2. Enter the script's path in the Layer or Layer Version's Script Path field. For example, enter C:\Scripts\SpecialScript.bat in

the Script Path field.

Once the script runs on a Desktop, it will not run again because of the entry in the RunOnce registry key.


To run a script more than once, you can:

Remove the Layer from the Desktop and then re-add it.

Click Deskt ops > Edit Deskt opsDeskt ops > Edit Deskt ops, select the Applicat ion AssignmentApplicat ion Assignment tab, and select Reinst allReinst all for the layer.

Upgrade an application

1. Select Layers > Application Layers and select an Application Layer.

2. Select Add Version in the Action bar. This opens the Create Layer Version wizard.

3. In the Version Details tab, enter a version identif ier. This can be the application version, or anything you choose.

4. (Optional) Type a description of the version.

5. (Optional) Enter a path for a RunOnce script that will run the f irst time the user logs in after the desktop restarts.

1. In the Installation Machine Details tab, select the Operating System Layer. The Operating System Layer used to create

the Application Layer appears.

2. Select any version of the Operating System Layer.

3. Select an Installation Machine.

4. In the Prerequisite Layers tab, select any Layers required to install the new Application Layer Version.

5. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify your choices, and click Finish.

6. Monitor this task in the Task bar. When prompted to do so, install the new operating system service pack or upgrade on


7. After installing the upgrade, select the Application Layer and select Finalize in the Action bar.

When the task is done, you can deploy the new Application Layer Version to Desktops that have a compatible Operating

System Layer.









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ngen update /force








pause.



ngen queue status



https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_layers/admin_apps_upgrade#Complete_MS_NGen_Operations


Edit a Layer version

Jun 28 , 2017

You can apply a hotfix or patch to an existing software version, but only if that layer version has not yet been assigned to

any Desktops. This is useful if your IT policies require you to submit new versions for management approval.

Ensure you have the software for the version you are changing.

Ensure that an Installation Machine is available.

1. Select Layers > Application Layersor Layers > OS Layers and select either the Operating System or Application Layer that

has the version you need to change.

2. Select Edit Latest Version in the Action bar.

The Edit Latest Version action is active only if the latest version for the selected layer is not assigned to a desktop.

Result: This action opens the Edit Latest Version wizard.

3. In the Version Details tab, enter a description of the change, if required, in the Version Description box.

4. In the Layer Size tab, specify the storage space allocated to the layer.

1. Specify the default size for the layer, in gigabytes.

2. Optionally, specify the amount of storage space you want to allocate for layers on individual drive volumes.

5. Select an Installation Machine in one of the following ways:

For Operating System Layers, select the Version Details tab and select an Installation Machine from the list.

For Application Layers, select the Desktop Settings tab and select an Installation Machine from the list.

6. In the Prerequisite Layers tab, select one or more layers from the displayed list, if required.

1. Select an Application Layer in the Prerequisite Layers box.

2. Select the version of the Application Layer in the Application Details box.

3. Click Add LayerAdd Layer.

7. In the Confirm and Complete tab, review the details, enter a comment if required, and click Update Layer. If you enter


8. Monitor this task in the Task bar. When prompted to do so, install the required software on the Installation Machine.

Note: Canceling the Edit Version task does not remove any of the changes you made to the Installation Machine. You

have to delete the version to remove these changes.

9. After installing the software, select the updated layer and select Finalize in the Action bar.

When this step is complete, you can assign the version to desktops.





























ngen update /force








pause.


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ngen queue status



To deploy the updated software, complete the following steps:

1. Select Desktops and select one or more desktops.


3. Select the appropriate tab, either OS Assignment or Application Assignment, select the new layer version, and update the

desktop.

A task runs to rebuild the bootable image. This task completes only after the desktop shuts down. The desktop shuts

down for maintenance based on its maintenance schedule.


Edit Layer properties

Jun 28 , 2017

You can change the following properties for an Operating System or Application Layer, including:

The name of the Layer.

The description of the Layer.

The version and description of each Layer Version.

The image associated with the Layer.

To edit Layer properties:

1. Select Layers and select the Operating System or Application Layer that you want to edit.

2. Select Edit Properties. This opens the Edit Layer wizard.

3. In the Layer Details tab, change the name or description of the Layer.

4. In the Version Details tab, expand a version and change the version identif ier or the description, as needed.

5. In the Icon Assignment tab, select a new icon from the Layer Icon box or upload a new one.

6. In the Confirm and Complete tab, enter a comment, if required, and click Update Layer. If you enter comments, they


The Desktops that include this Layer must restart before the changes can take effect.


Assign icons to Layers and templates

Jun 28 , 2017

When you create or edit an Operating System Layer, Application Layer, or Template you can assign an icon to the layer.

Icons help to identify these items in the Unidesk Management Console.

When using the Create or Edit wizard for any Layer or Template, the Icon Assignment tab gives you the opportunity to:

Choose an icon: Use the default icon,choose another icon from the included samples, or upload a custom icon.

Delete an icon you no longer need.

Unidesk uses the following icon by default when you create a layer or template, or delete an icon that is in use.

The following image specifications are recommended for Unidesk icons. Although other sizes and resolutions are supported,

the file type must be PNG or JPG.

Specif icat ionSpecif icat ion Det ailsDet ails

File type PNG or JPG

Size 64 x 64 pixels

Resolution 96 DPI

Preview an icon

You can preview a custom icon before applying it:

1. For best results, adjust your icon image to conform to the Recommended icon specifications above.

2. In the Icon Assignment tab, click BrowseBrowse .

3. Select the icon image you want to upload, and click OpenOpen. The image appears along with the other icons, and a preview

is displayed on the right.

Upload an icon

You can upload a custom icon to add to your collection:

1. Adjust your icon image to conform to these Recommended icon specifications above.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_layers/admin_icon_assign#Recommended_icon_specifications

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_layers/admin_icon_assign#Recommended_icon_specifications



3. Select the icon image you want to upload, and click OpenOpen. The image appears in the icon collection, and a preview of

the icon as it will appear on the selected layer is displayed on the right.

Note: If you browse and select an icon, but then choose a different one for you layer, the first one you had selected will

not be uploaded. The icon is only uploaded once you have finalized the Confirm and Complete tab.

4. To complete the upload, use the Confirm and Complete tab to finalize the wizard.

Delete an icon

You can delete an icon, and it will be removed from the database.

Note: The software does not let you delete the following icons shipped with the system:

If the icon is in use by any layer or template, you will receive a warning, and the default icon will be used in its place.

1. In the Icon Assignment tab, select the icon you want to delete.

2. Click the Delete button. This immediately removes the icon from the database, even if you do not complete the wizard.


Manage an Installation Machine

Jun 28 , 2017

An Installation Machine is a virtual machine that acts as a staging area for the creation of Layers and new Layer Versions.

You need an Installation Machine to create an Application Layer, a new Version of an Application Layer, or an Operating

System Layer Version. The Master CachePoint Appliance hosts all Installation Machines

When you first create an Installation Machine it is powered off. When you select an Installation Machine to use in creating

an Application Layer, the Installation Machine is powered on and you can use the Unidesk Open Console to log into it and

install the Applications you want to include in the Application Layer.

Log into an Installation Machine

To log into an Installation Machine:

1. Select System > Installation Machines.

2. Select the Installation Machine you want to log into and select Open Console . The vSphere authentication window

opens.

3. Enter your directory service (Active Directory or Novell) credentials. The Windows login screen appears.

4. Enter your Windows Administrator password.

You can now install applications on the Installation Machine.

Change the name of an Installation Machine

To change the name of an Installation Machine:


2. Select the Installation Machine(s) that you want to change and select Edit Properties. The Edit Installation Machine

wizard opens.

3. In the General Settings tab, change the name of the Installation Machine.

Select a name that is unique on the Master CachePoint Appliance. Unidesk does not prevent you from using a name that

is already in use by another Installation Machine.

Note: Changing the name in the Unidesk Management Console affects the local display only, not the virtual machine in

the virtual infrastructure. You must also change the name of the virtual machine using your virtual infrastructure

management tools to ensure the names match in both places.

4. In the Confirm and Complete tab and click Update Installation Machine.

Shut down an Installation Machine

You can shut down one or more Installation Machines at a time. Shutting down an Installation Machine can be useful when

troubleshooting an issue.

For a clean shutdown of an Installation Machine:



2. Select one or more Installation Machines and select Restart/Shut Down in the Action bar.

Result: This action opens the Shut Down Installation Machines wizard.

3. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the correct Installation Machines are selected, enter a comment if required,

and click Restart/Shut Down. If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.

Delete an Installation Machine

You can delete an Installation Machine from the virtual infrastructure. The Delete action is only active if the Installation

Machine is not in use.


2. Select one or more Installation Machines to delete and select Delete from the Action bar.

Result: This action opens the Delete Installation Machines wizard.

3. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that you selected the correct Installation Machines, enter a comment if

required, and click Delete Installation Machines. If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit

History.


Reinstall an application

Jun 28 , 2017

As users customize their Desktops, they can change or remove files that affect how an application functions. Or, users may

uninstall applications that need to be part of the Desktop, based on corporate requirements.

To resolve these issues, you can reinstall the original application as it is configured in an Application Layer.

The Edit Desktop wizard lets you specify applications to reinstall for one or more selected Desktops.

If you select Reinstall in the Edit Desktop wizard's Application Assignment tab, the following actions occur the next time

the Desktop shuts down:

1. The software removes all of the changes for the selected applications from the User Layer, with the exception of

changes made to the Registry hive HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM.

2. The software creates a new bootable image for the desktop that contains the selected application versions.


Search for Desktops, Layers, or users

Jun 28 , 2017

The Search feature lets you to find desktops, users, layers, and templates:

Desktops Select the Desktops module or the System > Installation Machines module.

Users

Select the Desktops module.

Use the search feature in the User Assignment tab of the Create or Edit Desktop wizard.

Select the Users module.

Layers Select the Layers > OS Layers or Layers > Application Layers module.

Templates Select the Layers > Templates module.

The Search box is located in the Display tool bar in the Desktops, Layers, and System > Installation Machines modules.

To start a search, enter a letter, a word, or a phrase in the Search box and click Search.

The Unidesk Management Console displays the search results in the selected icon or list view.

To refine the search results, use Desktop search keywords .

Avoid using the desktop search keywords in the names of any Unidesk object. Using these keywords in names can cause

inaccurate search results.

To use advanced search, select the arrow next to the Search box. Advanced search is available in the Desktops module

only.

To clear the search result and redisplay the default display click next to the Search box.

When you search for items, the search results match the text and keywords that you enter in the Search box.

The following table provides information about the search criteria for each module.

For t his module:For t his module: Your search crit eria can mat ch any of t hese propert ies:Your search crit eria can mat ch any of t hese propert ies:

Desktop name.

The login and/or domain name for the user logged into the desktop.

First or Last name of the user assigned to the desktop.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_layers/admin_umc_search#desktopKeywordSearch


Desktops

Phone number of the user assigned to the desktop.

Email address of the user assigned to the desktop.

Name of a template associated with the desktop.

Version of a template associated with the desktop.

Name of a layer assigned to the desktop.

Version of a layer assigned to the desktop.

Maintenance schedule that the desktop is using.

For information about using keywords for desktop searches, see Desktop search

keywords .

Layers (OS, Applications, and

Templates)Layer name and version.

System > Installation Machines Installation Machine name.

The following table provides information about the search rules.

RuleRule ExampleExample

All searches are case-insensitive, including words or phrases enclosed in

double quotes (" ").

Searching for Firefox or firefox displays all

items whose names contain either word.

Searching for words or phrases enclosed in double quotes results in an

exact match.

Searching for "MS Word," displays items

whose names include the words MS Word but

not WordPerfect.

If, in a keyword search, you specify a name that includes words

separated by spaces, search finds only the items whose names include

the same words separated by spaces.

If you specify a name that includes words separated by spaces and

then enclose any part of the name in double quotes, search finds only

the items whose names include the same words separated by spaces

as long as they also include the double quotes.

Searching for Layer: antivirus t displays items

whose names include the words antivirus test

and antivirus trial, but not antivirustest.

Searching for Layer:"antivirus" test displays

items whose names include the words

"antivirus" test but not antivirus test.

AND is implied in all searches except for those enclosed in double

Searching for Windows SP, the search looks

for words or phrases that include Windows

AND SP. Therefore, the search results could

include both of the following layers:

Windows 7 SP1.




quotes. Windows XP SP2.

Windows XP SP3.

The search results would not include a layer

named Windows for Finance because its

name does not include "SP."

Search uses an implied wildcard at the beginning and end of the words

you enter in the Search box.

Searching for Word displays all items whose

names include MS Word, Word for Windows,

and WordPerfect.

Desktop search keywords

To refine the search display, use any or all of the following filters:

Filter list: The Filter list allows you to select a category that defines the type of items the Unidesk Management Console

displays when a search matches your search criteria. The options in the Filter list change depending on the displayed

page.

View Flagged Items: If you select View Flagged Items before starting a search, the search displays only those items that

match the search criteria and are also f lagged items.

The Desktops module includes Advanced desktop search that lets you locate desktops using complex search queries.

Search criteria

Advanced desktop search lets you to find desktops using one or more of the criteria described in the table below. If you

specify more than one criteria, the search will be treated as an AND.

AdvancedAdvancedsearchsearchcrit eriacrit eria

Descript ionDescript ion

Containthese words

One or more words (or partial words) included in any of the desktop search properties.

To match a specific word or phrase exactly, enclose the value in double quotes (" ").

Have ownersin this group

Full or partial name of the group that includes the desktop owners. If you type a portion of the name,

all groups containing this string will be included in the results, whether they are local Unidesk or

LDAP groups. For example, if you search on CHI, desktops with owners in both the LDAP group

CHIGROUP and the Unidesk group ICHI will be included in the results.

You can use the Browse button to select the group. If you select an LDAP group, the group's

Distinguished Name appears in the field. For example, if you select CHIGROUP, a name like the following


would appear in the field:

CN=CHIGROUP,OU=CHI,DC=mycompanydom3,DC=local

Are hostedonCachePoint

Full or partial name of the CachePoint Appliance assigned to the desktop.

Use thismaintenanceschedule

Full or partial name of a maintenance schedule.

Are using thistemplate

Full or partial name of a template.

Are using thislayer

Full or partial name of a layer. You can specify a version.

To add more layers to the query, click And.

When you specify multiple layers, the search results display the desktops that contain ALL of the

specified layers.

Have pendingconfigurationchanges

Yes - finds desktops that need to restart because they have pending configuration changes.

No - finds desktops that do not have pending configuration changes.

N/A - this criteria is not applicable to your search.

Using advanced search

1. In the Desktops module, click the down arrow next to the Search box.

2. Specify values for any or all of the advanced search criteria.

3. Click Search.

Advanced search example

Assume that you've assigned new versions of the QuickQuote and AddUp Application Layers to all of the Sales desktops in

the New York territory. You want to find the desktops that have not yet restarted and received the new configuration.

To find these desktops only, you specify the following advanced search criteria:

For t his search crit eria:For t his search crit eria: You ent er...You ent er...

Contain these words Sales-

Have owners in this group Albany


Are hosted on CachePoint NYO

Use this layer

Quickquote Version 2

Addup Version 2

Have pending configuration changes Yes

This search query finds all of the desktops that:

Have the word, Sales- in their name. For example, Sales-BobWilson and Sales-SallySeashell.

Have owners who are members of the Albany group.

Are hosted on CachePoint Appliances that have NYO in their names. For example, NYO-CP-Master and NYO-CP1.

Use version 2 of the layers, QuickQuote and AddUp.

Have pending configuration changes and need to restart — that is, the desktop have not yet restarted after you

assigned new layers to them.

The following example shows how Unidesk constructs a search query based on the search criteria specified in the advanced

search example.

Sales- Group:AlbanyCachePoint:NYO Layer:quickquote;C=Version:2 Layer:addup;Version:2 NeedsRestart:yes


Enable support for 3D graphics applications

Jun 28 , 2017

If you want to deploy applications that require 3D graphics support, use the following procedures to enable a Unidesk

desktop to support VMware View Media Services for 3D graphics.

You must use VMware View 5 to take advantage of 3D graphics support.

1. Before you start to create the Application Layer, edit the video card settings for the Installation Machine:

1. In VMware vSphere, right click the Installation Machine and select Edit settings from the displayed menu.

2. Select the video card and select Enable 3D support in the 3D graphics box.

3. Click OK.

2. In the Unidesk Management Console, create the Application Layer in the usual way.

3. Assign the Application Layer to the appropriate desktops.

Before you deploy desktops that require support for 3D applications to a VMware View pool, use the following procedure

to configure the pool correctly.

1. Create the pool, using the Unidesk Management Console or the VMware View Administrator.

2. In the Add Pool window, click Pool Settings and configure the following settings:

Default display protocol: PCoIP

Allow users to choose protocol: No

Windows 7 3D Rendering: Enabled.

3. Optionally, click Configuration in the Windows 7 3D Rendering setting to allocate the amount of video RAM that you

want to assign to the Guest Operating System.

4. Click OK.


Desktops

Jun 28 , 2017

A desktop is a hosted virtual machine that is a local composite of the layers assigned to it and a User Layer. The User Layer

includes all of the desktop changes that a user makes.

Unidesk Desktops can be persistent or non-persistent. In a persistent desktop all changes that the user makes are saved,

just like on a physical desktop. In a non-persistent desktop, the desktop is rebooted to its original state when the user logs

off. Non-persistent desktops are often used in labs or kiosks.

The Unidesk software lets you make the following choices when deploying a new desktop(s):

Choose a connection broker, user, or group for the desktop.

Specify a cluster or server where the desktop will be hosted, and a network.

Assign an OS Layer.

Assign one or more Application Layers.

Specify desktop settings, for example CPUs, memory, storage allowance for user data, backup frequency, and page f ile

size, and core dump type.

Maintenance schedule for updating layers and other tasks that may require rebooting the desktop.

A desktop that you deploy from the Unidesk Management Console behaves in the same manner as any other desktop

virtual machine, with the following exceptions:

When changes to the desktop configuration result in the need to rebuild the bootable image, Unidesk places the

desktop in Maintenance Mode while the rebuild is in progress.

If you use the Unidesk Management Console Restore feature to restore a desktop, you have to add the desktop to the

broker pool/group, manually.


Change desktop layers or attributes

Jun 28 , 2017

About managing a Desktop's bootable image

The components that comprise a desktop come from a variety of layers. For example:

An Operating System Layer includes the operating system that the software imports from a gold image. The gold image

might include applications, as well.

Individual Application Layers include applications that you create as separate components.

When you create a desktop, you specify virtual machine settings for CPUs, memory, network adapters and disk storage.

Each desktop has a configuration associated with it. The configuration references all of the components and versions that

define what end users interact with when they use the desktops. If the configuration changes, the software needs to

create a new bootable image that matches the new configuration.

A Desktop receives new bootable image when it is shut down or during a restart. The Unidesk software uses the new

configuration to create a new bootable image.

Any time a user makes a change to a desktop, the desktop sends this information to the server or cluster that is hosting it.

Based on the content of the messages it receives, the server or cluster determines whether it needs to create a new

bootable image for the desktop.

A desktop requires a new bootable image when you change the configuration, or when a change to the desktop affects

system-level files, for example, when adding new services, changing services to start automatically, or modifying system

boot files.

Note: Typically, changes to keys in the HTLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services key cause the desktop to receive a new

bootable image.

The configuration for a desktop changes when any of the following events occur:

Changes to the desktop affect system-level f iles. (for example, adding new services, changing services to start

automatically, or modifying system boot f iles).

You assign a new application to a desktop.

You remove an application from a desktop.

You add a new version of an existing application.

You update a version of an existing application or the operating system.

You change the operating system.

You change the priority order of applications assigned to one or more desktops.

You restore a desktop using a backup of an earlier version.

If a desktop requires a new bootable image, the desktop must remain in a shut down state while the CachePoint Appliance

creates the image. If an end user initiates a system restart and the desktop requires a new bootable image, the desktop


remains in a shut down state until the CachePoint Appliance finishes creating the bootable image. While this action is in

progress, end users can experience a one minute delay in the system restart. They may also notice that the desktop is in a

powered-off state during this time.

It is important that no one attempts to power on the desktop while the CachePoint Appliance is creating the bootable

image. Attempting to start the desktop while the CachePoint Appliance is creating the image can result in the desktop not

being able to restart.

Example

IP address assignment for desktops

When you create a desktop, the software uses DHCP to acquire an IP address for it. If you look at the settings for the

desktop, however, the Internet Protocol settings for the desktop show that a specific IP address is assigned to it, as shown

in the following illustration. This assignment is normal behavior. Do not change these settings.

How desktops obtain IP addresses

Each time a desktop boots, a custom DHCP client runs during the early stages of the start-up process. This client is

responsible for renewing or rebinding the current IP address, if possible. If the current IP address is not available, the custom

DHCP client obtains a new address for the desktop. There is no need for you to change any of the Internet Protocol

properties.

Because the software uses an internal ID, not the IP address, to identify the desktop, communication is not affected if the

desktop's IP address changes.

Desktop visualization panel

The Desktop Visualization panel provides a graphic display of a desktop configuration while you create and edit a desktop.

As you select layers and settings for the desktop configuration, the Desktop Visualization panel displays the layers, in order

of priority, and all of the desktop settings.

The priority order for layers is the order in which the desktop deployment process applies the layer, from the highest priority

(applied last) to the lowest.

Desktop views

In this example, the Desktop Visualization panel shows that the Windows 7 Operating System Layer is the first layer that

the deployment process applies to desktops. Next, the deployment process applies the Adobe Reader Application Layer.

Custom setting indicator

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/desktop_address.png


Before you start

If you are adding applications to the desktops, make sure the Application Layers you need are available in the Layers >

Application Layers module, and that they use the same OS Layer as the desktops to which you want to assign them.

Changing a Desktop's properties will create a new bootable image for the Desktop, and it must be in a stopped state for

this task to complete. You can shut down the Desktops either before you start editing their properties, or restart the

desktops after you select the new properties.

A Desktop edit will be prevented from completing if a Repair task is in progress..

Assign a new Operating System Layer Version to Desktops

You can update the operating system assigned to multiple desktops by creating a new layer version containing the

operating system update and assigning the new version of the layer to the desktops. As part of this process, the Unidesk

software creates a new bootable image for the Desktop. The Desktop must be stopped for this task to complete.

Assuming the layer version containing the operating system update exists:

1. Select Desktops and select all of the desktops whose operating system you want to update.

2. Select Edit Desktops from the Action bar. This opens the Edit Desktop wizard.

3. In the OS Assignment tab, select the version of the Operating System Layer you want to assign to the selected

desktops.

Note: If you do not select a version, the software select the latest version, by default.

4. In the Maintenance Schedule tab, select a deployment method for configuration changes.

Use a maintenance schedule. A maintenance schedule determines when Unidesk deploys desktop configuration

changes. You can select an existing schedule, modify the selected schedule, or create a new one. Click for more about

using maintenance schedules.

As soon as possible. Overrides the current maintenance schedule. Unidesk shuts down the desktops and deploys the

configuration changes, even if users are still logged on..

At a specified date and time. Overrides the current maintenance schedule. This option defers deployment of

configuration changes until the specified time. After the specified time, Unidesk shuts down the desktops and deploy

the configuration changes, even if users are still logged on.

Wait for a user to log off or restart the desktop. Overrides the current maintenance schedule. This option allows the

desktop user to control when Unidesk deploys configuration changes. Unidesk waits for the first time when a user

logs off or restarts the desktop, instead of waiting for a maintenance window to occur.

Note: Once you select a maintenance schedule override, desktops use the override until Unidesk rebuilds the desktop

bootable images. Once a desktop is rebuilt, it resumes using the current maintenance schedule. You can edit the

desktops before a rebuild occurs to change the override selection, if necessary.

5. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify the correct desktops and operating system version are selected and click Update

Desktop. Unidesk deploys the configuration changes as specified by your Maintenance Schedule selection.

Assign Desktops with new and updated applications

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_desktops_and_templates/admin_maint_sched


Use the Edit Desktops action in the Desktops module to upgrade desktops with new applications or new versions of

applications. You must restart the desktops for the changes to take effect.

Note: A Desktop edit will be prevented from completing if a Repair task is in progress.

1. Create a new Application Layer or Layer Version.

2. Select Desktops and select one or more desktops that you want to upgrade.


4. In the Applicat ion AssignmentApplicat ion Assignment tab, expand the item for the application that you want to upgrade and select the

appropriate version.

5. In the Maint enance ScheduleMaint enance Schedule tab, select a deployment method for the configuration changes. You can deploy them

in any of the following ways:

Select or create a maintenance schedule. A maintenance schedule deploys changes during a specif ied time frame. For

more about maintenance schedules, click here.

As soon as possible. This option deploys the configuration changes after you shut down the desktops.


Defer deployment until a specified date and time. This option defers deployment of configuration changes until the

specified time elapses. At that time, Unidesk deploys the configuration changes if the desktops are shut down.


6. In the Confirm and Complet eConfirm and Complet e tab, enter a comment about the upgrade, if required, and click Update Desktop.If you

enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History. Unidesk deploys the configuration changes as

specified by your Maintenance Schedule selection.

Before you start

Modifying desktop properties requires the software to create a new bootable image for the desktop, and the desktop

must be in a stopped state for this task to complete. You can either shut down the desktops you are planning to modify

before you start editing their properties, or you can choose to restart the desktops after you select the new properties.

A Desktop edit will be prevented from completing if a Repair task is in progress..

Desktop settings you cannot change

You cannot change the following settings when you modify a desktop:

The size of the storage for user data (the User Layer).

The desktop type, persistent or nonpersistent.

The broker pool or collection associated with the desktop.

If you select a template whose values for these settings differ from the original ones, the original values remain in place and

the Desktop Visualization panel displays a custom setting indicator next to these values to indicate that they do not

match the template-specified settings.

Change the owner of a desktop

Use the Edit Desktops action in the Desktops module to change the owner of a desktop.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_application_layers/deploy_app_layer_create

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_desktops_and_templates/admin_maint_sched


1. In the Desktops module, select a desktop.


3. In the User Reassignment tab, select Reassign Desktop and select a user from the displayed list.

You can see the current owner in the Desktop Visualization panel.

4. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the correct user is selected and click Update Desktop.

Change the Desktop name

When you create desktops, you either enter a name for it or allow the system to generate names for you. The desktop

name must be unique to the host that is storing it and adhere to the following standards: When the software creates the

desktop, it uses the specified or generated name as follows:

Uses the name for the desktop that the Unidesk Management Console displays.

Creates a virtual machine with the specif ied name.

Uses the name as the DNS name assigned to the virtual machine in the virtual infrastructure.

Uses the name as the Windows machine name.

If you change the name of a desktop after you create it, the change affects only the name that the Unidesk Management

Console displays. The virtual machine name, the DNS name associated with the desktop, and the Windows machine name

do not change. If you want the names to match, you must change the names manually.

To change the name of a Desktop:

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, select the Deskt opsDeskt ops module.

2. Select the Desktop and click Edit Deskt opsEdit Deskt ops.

3. Select the Deskt op Det ailsDeskt op Det ails tab, and change the Deskt op NameDeskt op Name.

4. Select the Conf irm and Complet eConf irm and Complet e tab, and click Updat e Deskt opUpdat e Deskt op.

Change the Physical Attributes of a Desktop

You can change the physical settings of the virtual desktop at any time. For example, if you are installing an application that

requires additional memory, you can adjust these settings, as required.

1. Select Desktops and select the Desktop whose settings you want to change.

2. Select Edit in the Action bar. The Edit Desktop wizard opens.

3. Select the Desktop Settings tab and change the settings as necessary.

Configure a network connection for desktops

By default, the setting for a desktop's network connection is the same as the network assigned to the gold image that

you used to create the Operating System Layer.

Depending on the organization of your virtual infrastructure, you may want to configure specific desktops to use different

network connections.

You can set the network connection when you create desktops or you can change the network connection for deployed

desktops.

1. In the Desktops module, select Create desktop to create desktops or select existing desktops and click Edit.

2. In the Desktop Details tab, select one of the displayed networks in the Network list.


3. Complete the create or edit task.

4. If you modif ied an existing desktop, restart it to ensure the changes take effect.

Restart Desktops

Use the Restart/Shut Down action in the Desktops module to start a desktop that is shut down or to have changes to the

desktop take effect.

During the restart process, the Unidesk software instructs the virtual infrastructure to perform a clean shut down of the

virtual machine, if it is still running, and then starts it again.

Before restarting a desktop, verify that the screen saver is disabled. The desktop does not shut down properly if the screen

saver is enabled.

If you make changes to a desktop while it is running (for example, you change the application assignment), the software

will wait for the desktop to shut down before completing the tasks required to create a new bootable image for the

desktop.

When you initiate a restart of a desktop, the software deploys the queued changes once the desktop shuts down. After

building the new bootable image, the software initiates the restart.

You can monitor the detailed view of the Restart task in the Task bar to see the sub tasks related to creating the new

bootable image.

1. Select Deskt ops Deskt ops and select one or more desktops.

2. Select Rest art /Shut DownRest art /Shut Down in the Action bar. This opens the Restart/Shut Down wizard.

3. In the Shutdown or Restart tab, select the Restart option.

4. In the Confirm and Complete tab, enter a comment that explains why the restart is necessary, if required.If you enter


5. Click Rest art /Shut downRest art /Shut down. The Unidesk software causes the virtual infrastructure to restart the appropriate virtual

machines.

6. Monitor the Task bar to see when this task completes. If the software needs to create a new bootable image for the

desktop, the restart takes a few extra minutes to complete.

7. When the restart task completes, notify the end users that their desktops are available for use.

Shut down Desktops

Use the Restart/Shut Down action in the Desktops module to shut down a desktop.

You may need to shut down desktops for maintenance purposes, to update a desktop's configuration, or to prevent end

users from selecting a specific desktop.


Before shutting down a desktop, verify that the screen saver is disabled. The desktop does not shut down properly if the

screen saver is enabled.

If you are shutting down desktops that are integrated with connection brokers, the Restart/Shut Down wizard displays an

option to put the desktops in Maintenance Mode.

By default, this option is selected. Putting desktops in Maintenance Mode prevents connection brokers from restarting the

desktops while a desktop rebuild is in progress — restarting the desktop is not advisable.

The Maintenance Mode option is available only if the selected desktops are integrated with a connection broker.

In most cases, you should accept the default setting for Maintenance Mode, however, you can choose to shut down the

desktops without putting them in Maintenance Mode. If the desktops have no outstanding configuration changes, it is

usually safe to shut them down without putting them in Maintenance Mode.

The desktop rebuild process removes desktops from Maintenance Mode automatically when it completes.

Note: If the selected desktops are integrated with VMware View, the connection broker restarts the desktops after the

desktop rebuild completes.

1. Select Deskt ops Deskt ops and select the desktops you want to shut down.

2. Click Rest art /Shut DownRest art /Shut Down in the Action bar.

Result : Result : This action opens the Shutdown Wizard.

3. In the Shutdown or Restart tab, select Shut Down .

If the selected desktops are integrated with a connection broker, the tab displays the Put in Maintenance Mode option.

4. If you do not want to put the desktops in Maintenance Mode, clear Put in Maintenance Mode.

5. Enter a comment, if required, that describes why the shutdown is necessary.


6. Click Rest art /Shut DownRest art /Shut Down.

If you make changes to a desktop while it is running (for example, you change the application assignment), the software

will wait for the desktop to shut down before completing the tasks required to create a new bootable image for the

desktop.

When you initiate a shutdown of a desktop, the software deploys the queued changes once the desktop shuts down. You

can monitor the detailed view of the Shut Down task in the Task bar to see the sub tasks related to creating the new

bootable image.


What if a Desktop doesn't start?

If a user reports that a desktop is not starting as expected, log in to the Unidesk Management Console and check the

status of the desktop.

If the status indicates the creation of a new bootable image is in progress, ask the user to wait for a few minutes. A

bootable image can take 5 - 30 minutes to rebuild. Do not try to power on the machine or take any other action in the

virtual infrastructure.

If the desktop does not restart within a reasonable amount of time, contact Technical Support.


Manage desktops using Windows Remote Assistance

Jun 28 , 2017

Windows Remote Assistance provides a mechanism included with Microsoft Windows to provide help desk, remote control support for

Windows desktops. Remote Assistance is enabled using Group Policy Objects and the client is accessed from Windows Help. In this

article we will outline options for designing the Remote Assistance process as well as the steps requires to deploy and use Remote

Assistance in your organization.

To learn more about the Windows Remote Assistance feature, see these Microsoft articles:

Offering Remote Assiatnce

Step by Step Guide to Remote Assistance

Remote Assistance is enabled by configuring the Remote Assistance Policies found in Comput er Configurat ion>Administ rat iveComput er Configurat ion>Administ rat ive

Templat es>Syst em>Remot e Assist anceTemplat es>Syst em>Remot e Assist ance . The configurable policies are:

1. Allow only Vista or later connections

2. Turn on session logging

3. Turn on bandwidth optimization

4. Customize warning messages

5. Solicited remote Assistance

6. Offer remote Assistance

The two settings that are required are 5 and 6.

These settings can be defined in the OS layer or an application layer or as a Domain GPO. I would recommend using email if using 5-

Solicit or Easy Connect if using 6-Offer.

Solicited Remote Assistance

With solicited Remote Assistance the user initiates the session. This can be performed using email or by saving a file to a share. Email is

probably the best method to transport the invitation file. to the support representative. To configure Solicited Remote Assistance via

email update the GPO settings as seen below:

Unsolicited Remote Assistance

Most organizations will likely want to enable unsolicited remote assistance. In this model the support representative enters the

computer name into the Remote Assistance tool and it connects directly to the users desktop. The user must accept assistance and

accept remote control if that is desired.

To enable unsolicited Remote Assistance modify the Offer Remote Assistance GPO settings as seen below:

Remember to add your "Help Desk" Active Directory group into the helpers dialogue. Click 'Show" next to Helpers and enter

Domain\Group.

Remote Assistance is very easy to use. However initiating the connection from the user side is much harder than doing so from the


http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457004.aspx


support side. Both methods are discussed here. Desktop Administrators will want to create shortcuts with the appropriate command line

to make it easy to initiate a session.


The process to initiate a session from the user side is as follows:

1. User opens the Remote Assistance shortcut

2. This open an email with the invitation attached

3. User adds the support representative email address and sends email

4. Support rep receives email and opens invitation

5. User reads password to support rep

6. Support rep type password into utility

7. User accepts the connection

8. Support rep requests control as desired

9. User assents to control

You can see this method has many steps.

To keep it this short, you must create a shortcut to run the Remote Assistance utility directly jumping to the email attachment. To do

this, create a shortcut in the desired location with a command line of "msra.exe /email". When opened this will directly create the

invitation opened in an email. The shortcut should be installed in the same layer where you add the GPO settings if using a Layer, or just

on the Operating System Layer if using a Domain GPO.


This is by far the easier method. The process to initiate a session from the user side is as follows:

1. Support rep opens the Remote Assistance utility

2. Support rep types in the users computer name

3. The user accepts the connection



To keep it this short you must create a shortcut to run the Remote Assistance utility on the support reps computer directly opening the

Remote Administration utility to the request computer name form.. To do this create a shortcut in the desired location with a command

line of "msra.exe /offerRA".

If you are using windows XP clients but your support reps are on Windows 7 the process works the same way as for Windows 7. If you

are using Windows XP to Windows XP you configure the GPO settings the same way but the shortcut to launch the Remote Assistance

Offer is slightly different. You create a shortcut to Internet Explorer and pass it a special url as shown here:

"%ProgramFiles%\Internet Explorer\iexplore"

hcp://CN=Microsoft%20Corporation,L=Redmond,S=Washington,C=US/Remote%20Assistance/Escalation/Unsolicited/Unsolicitedrcui.htm

The second line is added right after the end of the first in the shortcuts Target.

You cannot connect via an offer from Windows XP to Windows 7.

Windows Firewall

When using the windows firewall, exceptions must be enabled for Remote Assistance.

For Windows 7, ensure the following rules are allowed:


For Windows XP there is a single check box to allow Remote Assistance.


Manage desktop templates

Jun 28 , 2017

Windows Remote Assistance provides a mechanism included with Microsoft Windows to provide help desk, remote control support for

Windows desktops. Remote Assistance is enabled using Group Policy Objects and the client is accessed from Windows Help. In this

article we will outline options for designing the Remote Assistance process as well as the steps requires to deploy and use Remote

Assistance in your organization.

To learn more about the Windows Remote Assistance feature, see these Microsoft articles:

Offering Remote Assiatnce

Step by Step Guide to Remote Assistance

Remote Assistance is enabled by configuring the Remote Assistance Policies found in Comput er Configurat ion>Administ rat iveComput er Configurat ion>Administ rat ive

Templat es>Syst em>Remot e Assist anceTemplat es>Syst em>Remot e Assist ance . The configurable policies are:

1. Allow only Vista or later connections

2. Turn on session logging

3. Turn on bandwidth optimization

4. Customize warning messages

5. Solicited remote Assistance

6. Offer remote Assistance

The two settings that are required are 5 and 6.

These settings can be defined in the OS layer or an application layer or as a Domain GPO. I would recommend using email if using 5-

Solicit or Easy Connect if using 6-Offer.


With solicited Remote Assistance the user initiates the session. This can be performed using email or by saving a file to a share. Email is

probably the best method to transport the invitation file. to the support representative. To configure Solicited Remote Assistance via

email update the GPO settings as seen below:


Most organizations will likely want to enable unsolicited remote assistance. In this model the support representative enters the

computer name into the Remote Assistance tool and it connects directly to the users desktop. The user must accept assistance and

accept remote control if that is desired.

To enable unsolicited Remote Assistance modify the Offer Remote Assistance GPO settings as seen below:

Remember to add your "Help Desk" Active Directory group into the helpers dialogue. Click 'Show" next to Helpers and enter

Domain\Group.

Remote Assistance is very easy to use. However initiating the connection from the user side is much harder than doing so from the


http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457004.aspx


support side. Both methods are discussed here. Desktop Administrators will want to create shortcuts with the appropriate command line

to make it easy to initiate a session.


The process to initiate a session from the user side is as follows:

1. User opens the Remote Assistance shortcut

2. This open an email with the invitation attached

3. User adds the support representative email address and sends email

4. Support rep receives email and opens invitation

5. User reads password to support rep

6. Support rep type password into utility

7. User accepts the connection



You can see this method has many steps.

To keep it this short, you must create a shortcut to run the Remote Assistance utility directly jumping to the email attachment. To do

this, create a shortcut in the desired location with a command line of "msra.exe /email". When opened this will directly create the

invitation opened in an email. The shortcut should be installed in the same layer where you add the GPO settings if using a Layer, or just

on the Operating System Layer if using a Domain GPO.


This is by far the easier method. The process to initiate a session from the user side is as follows:

1. Support rep opens the Remote Assistance utility

2. Support rep types in the users computer name

3. The user accepts the connection



To keep it this short you must create a shortcut to run the Remote Assistance utility on the support reps computer directly opening the

Remote Administration utility to the request computer name form.. To do this create a shortcut in the desired location with a command

line of "msra.exe /offerRA".

If you are using windows XP clients but your support reps are on Windows 7 the process works the same way as for Windows 7. If you

are using Windows XP to Windows XP you configure the GPO settings the same way but the shortcut to launch the Remote Assistance

Offer is slightly different. You create a shortcut to Internet Explorer and pass it a special url as shown here:

"%ProgramFiles%\Internet Explorer\iexplore"

hcp://CN=Microsoft%20Corporation,L=Redmond,S=Washington,C=US/Remote%20Assistance/Escalation/Unsolicited/Unsolicitedrcui.htm

The second line is added right after the end of the first in the shortcuts Target.

You cannot connect via an offer from Windows XP to Windows 7.

Windows Firewall

When using the windows firewall, exceptions must be enabled for Remote Assistance.

For Windows 7, ensure the following rules are allowed:


For Windows XP there is a single check box to allow Remote Assistance.


Assign icons to layers and templates

Jun 28 , 2017

When you create or edit an Operating System Layer, Application Layer, or Template you can assign an icon to the layer.

Icons help to identify these items in the Unidesk Management Console.

When using the Create or Edit wizard for any Layer or Template, the Icon Assignment tab gives you the opportunity to:

Choose an icon: Use the default icon,choose another icon from the included samples, or upload a custom icon.

Delete an icon you no longer need.

Unidesk uses the following icon by default when you create a layer or template, or delete an icon that is in use.

The following image specifications are recommended for Unidesk icons. Although other sizes and resolutions are supported,

the file type must be PNG or JPG.

Specif icat ionSpecif icat ion Det ailsDet ails

File type PNG or JPG

Size 64 x 64 pixels

Resolution 96 DPI

Preview an icon

You can preview a custom icon before applying it:

1. For best results, adjust your icon image to conform to the Recommended icon specifications above.


3. Select the icon image you want to upload, and click OpenOpen. The image appears along with the other icons, and a preview

is displayed on the right.

Upload an icon

You can upload a custom icon to add to your collection:

1. Adjust your icon image to conform to these Recommended icon specifications above.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_desktops_and_templates/admin_icon_assign#Recommended_icon_specifications

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_desktops_and_templates/admin_icon_assign#Recommended_icon_specifications



3. Select the icon image you want to upload, and click OpenOpen. The image appears in the icon collection, and a preview of

the icon as it will appear on the selected layer is displayed on the right.

Note: If you browse and select an icon, but then choose a different one for you layer, the first one you had selected will

not be uploaded. The icon is only uploaded once you have finalized the Confirm and Complete tab.

4. To complete the upload, use the Confirm and Complete tab to finalize the wizard.

Delete an icon

You can delete an icon, and it will be removed from the database.

Note: The software does not let you delete the following icons shipped with the system:

If the icon is in use by any layer or template, you will receive a warning, and the default icon will be used in its place.

1. In the Icon Assignment tab, select the icon you want to delete.

2. Click the Delete button. This immediately removes the icon from the database, even if you do not complete the wizard.


Back up desktops

Jun 28 , 2017

You can back up desktops on demand, or schedule backups as part of creating or editing desktops. You can also include

these settings in any templates you create.

Before setting Desktop backups, be sure you've set up archives for storing the backups, and that you have allocated

enough space for the backup archive.

Archive set t ingArchive set t ing - Make sure a backup archive is specified using the following setting:

System > Edit Properties > Storage Tiers tab > Archive setting

Backup Ret ent ion Set t ingsBackup Ret ent ion Set t ings - Check the maximum number of desktops you've specified to keep. This setting affects

how much space will be required for backup storage, and may also influence other decisions you make when scheduling

desktop backups.

System > Settings and Configuration > Backup Retention Settings > Maximum backups to keep per desktop

To back up a desktop(s) on demand:

1. In the Unidesk Management Console select the desktop(s) you want to back up, and click BackupBackup. The Backup wizard

opens.

2. Confirm that the correct desktops are selected and excluded from this operation, and click Creat e Backup NowCreat e Backup Now.

You can schedule desktop backups when creating new desktops, or editing existing ones. You can also specify a backup

schedule in your templates.

1. In the Unidesk Management Console open one of the following wizards, depending on whether you are creating or

editing a desktop or template:

Cont extCont ext WizardWizard

Creating or editing a desktop

Desktops > Create Desktop

Desktops > Edit Desktop(s)

Creating or editing a template

Layers > Templates > Create Template

Layers > Templates > Edit Latest Version

2. In the wizard you've opened, select the Deskt op Set t ingsDeskt op Set t ings tab.


3. Configure the Backup FrequencyBackup Frequency setting, including the number of times a day, and if applicable, the specific times of

day to backup the desktop.

4. Confirm and complete the wizard to save the new settings.

To restore the desktop(s) from backup, use the Desktop Repair feature.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_desktops_and_templates/admin_maint_desktop_repair


Repair desktops

Jun 28 , 2017

You can use the Desktop Repair feature to:

Rebuild (with pending changes)

Restore User Layer to current CachePoint*

Restore User Layer to a different CachePoint*

Reset (clear) User Layer

* You can only Restore Desktops that have been backed up, and when there are no Desktop Edit tasks in progress.

Rebuild (include pending changes)

Rebuilds the Desktop, including any pending Operating System Layer and Application Layer updates.

Note: A Desktop rebuild process is different than a Desktop restart. A restart does not apply any pending changes to the

Desktop, but a rebuild process does.

Restore a Desktop's User Layer

A Desktop's User Layer includes the user's Application settings and/or User data

Returns a Desktop's User Layer to a backed up version.

When restoring a single Desktop, you can return the User Layer to any backup in the archive.

When restoring multiple Desktops, you can restore to the most recent backup of each Desktop.

Example

Restore to a different CachePoint

Moves one or more Desktops, including both application settings and User data, to a different CachePoint.

For a single Desktop, you can move any backed up copy in the archive.

For multiple Desktops, you can move the most recent backup of each Desktop.

Notes:

The new CachePoint must be at the same (or later) Unidesk software version, but the new host does not need to share

the same datastores or settings as the previous one.

Any Unidesk configuration settings, such as which Layers are assigned, are preserved, even if they were set after the last

backup. Unidesk configuration settings that are not affected by repairs, such as which Layers are assigned to the

Desktop, can be restored by editing the Desktop in the Unidesk Management Console. There you can change the

assigned Layers and other Desktop settings.

If the CachePoints are part of a broker pool or catalog, the restored Desktop(s) must be removed from the broker

pool/group and re-added.


Reset/Clear User Layer

Returns a Desktop's User Layer, including all of the user's application preferences and/or data files, to the original state of

the Desktop when it was created. This is useful when applications or data become corrupted. (Not available for multiple

Desktops.)

When restoring or clearing a Desktop, you can choose to repair one or both types of data in the User Layer (see Data

Preferences in the table below). For more about the structure of the User Layer, see this article:

When moving Desktops to a different CachePoint Appliance, allall User Layer data is restored. When resetting or clearing a

Desktop without changing the CachePoint, you have several options. This is because the User Layer is made up of two

volumes, one for data and one for configuration. For an explanation of the structure of the User Layer, see this article:

Rest ore user's:Rest ore user's: Dat a includedDat a included

Application

settings

The Desktop's User Layer, including personalized settings and user-installed applications. The

Desktop's user data (the content the user has created) does not change.

Data filesThe Desktop's user data only. This includes only the content that the user created. Any

personalized settings or user-installed applications do not change.

Application

settings and Data

files

The entire Desktop, including all user-personalized settings, user-installed applications, and user

content.

Repair a Desktop's User Layer: What happens behind the scenes

When you restore a Desktop, Unidesk uses a Unideskbackup file to create a new virtual machine for the Desktop. During a

restore task, Unidesk uses the selected backup, and:

1. Creates a temporary virtual machine.

2. Attaches the VMDK file for the backup you selected to the temporary virtual machine.

3. Clones the temporary virtual machine which collapses the backup chain associated with the backup f ile into a single

VMDK file.

4. Detaches the VMDK file from the temporary virtual machine.

5. Deletes the temporary virtual machine.

6. Copies the new VMDK file to the original folder where the Unidesk Desktop was located.

7. When the Desktop starts, it uses the new VMDK file that the restore task created.

When restoring Desktops, ensure that you have at least one backup for each Desktop you want to restore.

Note: If the Desktop > Repair > Restore options are grayed out, and Desktop > Backup is also grayed out, check to see if

the CachePoint where the Desktop(s) are stored has an Archive Storage Tier configured. You can configure the Archive

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/freeing-storage-space-unidesk-desktop

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/freeing-storage-space-unidesk-desktop


Storage Tier in CachePoint's Edit Properties St orage T iersSt orage T iers tab, and then manually back up the Desktop(s) using the

Backup action.

To rebuild one or more Desktops, including any pending changes:

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, click the Desktops module. The Desktops in your environment are displayed.

2. Select the Desktop(s) and click RepairRepair. The Repair wizard is displayed.

3. Under T ype of RepairT ype of Repair, select RebuildRebuild.

4. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify your selections and click Repair Desktop(s).

Restoring a Desktop returns all or part of the Desktop's User Layer to a previous state available in a backup. When restoring

one Desktop at a time, you can choose which backup to use. When restoring more than one Desktop, they will all be

returned to the most recent backup.

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, click Desktops. The Desktops in your environment are displayed.

2. Select the Desktop(s) you want to restore, and click RepairRepair:

If Repair is grayed out, check to see whether there are backups of the Desktop(s) from which to do the restore. If

backups are available, check to see if other tasks are in progress or if the MA database has the wrong status f lags.

If both Repair and Backup are grayed out, the CachePoint where the Desktop is stored does not have an Archive

Storage Tier configured. You can change this setting on the CachePoint's Edit Properties, Storage Tiers tab, and then

manually back up the Desktop(s) using Backup.

If a message like the following is displayed, there is no backup available for at least one of the selected Desktops.

! Only n of the nn selected Desktops will be restored.

3. Under Type of RepairType of Repair, select Rest ore Deskt op's User LayerRest ore Deskt op's User Layer.

If you are restoring one Desktop, select the backup to restore from.

If you are restoring more than one Desktop, they will all be restored to the most recent backup.

4. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify your selections and click Repair Desktop(s). The repair process begins. To avoid

performance issues when a large number of Desktops are selected, no more than four Desktops at a time are restored.

One way to "move" a Desktop to a different CachePoint is to restore a backup of the Desktops' User Layer to a different

CachePoint and rebuild the Desktop on that CachePoint using the current Operating System Layer and Application Layers.

When restoring a Desktop to a different CachePoint, the most recent backup of the Desktop's User Layer will be used.

To restore Desktops to a different CachePoint:

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, click Desktops. The Desktops in your environment are displayed.

2. Select the Desktop(s) you want to restore, and click RepairRepair:

If Repair is grayed out, check to see whether there are backups of the Desktop(s) from which to do the restore. If

backups are available, check to see if other tasks are in progress or if the MA database has the wrong status f lags.

If both Repair and Backup are grayed out, the CachePoint where the Desktop is stored does not have an Archive


Storage Tier configured. You can change this setting on the CachePoint's Edit Properties, Storage Tiers tab, and then

manually back up the Desktop(s) using Backup.

If a message like the following is displayed, there is no backup available for at least one of the selected Desktops.

! Only n of the nn selected Desktops will be restored.

3. Under Type of RepairType of Repair, select Rest ore Deskt op's User LayerRest ore Deskt op's User Layer.

If you are restoring one Desktop, also select the backup to restore from.

If you are restoring more than one Desktop, they will all be restored to the most recent backup.

4. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify your selections and click Repair Desktop(s). The repair process begins. To avoid

performance issues when a large number of Desktops are selected, no more than four Desktops at a time are restored.

5. After moving the Desktop(s) to a different CachePoint, if the Desktop(s) are part of a broker pool or catalog, you must

remove the Desktop(s)s from the broker pool or group, and re-add them to the broker.

You can clear a user's Application settings and/or User data by Resetting the Desktop's User Layer.

Note: The Reset option is only available if you have one Desktop selected. You cannot reset more than one Desktop at a

time.

To rebuild a Desktop's User Layer:

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, click the Desktops module. The Desktops in your environment are displayed.

2. Select the Desktop and click RepairRepair. The Repair wizard is displayed.

3. Under T ype of RepairT ype of Repair, select Reset (clear) User LayerReset (clear) User Layer.

4. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify your selections and click Repair Desktop(s).


Schedule desktop maintenance

Jun 28 , 2017

A maintenance schedule controls when a Unidesk administrator deploys layer assignment changes or configuration changes

that require a rebuild of a desktop's bootable image. A maintenance schedule includes one or more maintenance windows,

or time periods, within which Unidesk can shut down Desktops and deploy configuration changes to them. When

configuring this window, you can specify whether or not to wait for users to log off before shutting down the desktops.

Unless you configure the settings, Unidesk assigns a default maintenance schedule to all desktops when you create them.

You can modify the system default maintenance schedule but you cannot delete it. If you don't want to use the default

maintenance schedule, you can create custom maintenance schedules and use them instead.

The time that maintenance schedules use is based on the system clock of the Management Appliance. The system clock

on desktops or CachePoint Appliances does not affect maintenance schedules.

What happens during a maintenance window?

During a maintenance window, Unidesk:

Determines whether any of the desktops using the maintenance schedule have outstanding configuration changes.

Unidesk includes all outstanding configuration changes when it rebuilds the desktop's bootable image. Therefore, if you

edit the desktop multiple times before a maintenance window occurs, Unidesk incorporates all of these changes into the

new bootable image.

Starts to shut down these desktops (if they are not already shut down) and rebuild their bootable images.

Unidesk shuts down three desktops at a time on each CachePoint Appliance and starts rebuilding the bootable images

for these desktops. As one desktop rebuild completes, Unidesk shuts down the next desktop in its queue and starts to

rebuild its bootable image.

When a maintenance window ends, deployment tasks that are already in progress continue until complete. If Unidesk did

not have sufficient time to start all of the outstanding deployment tasks, it waits until the next maintenance window

occurs and starts those tasks during that time.

Maintenance schedule overrides

You can override a maintenance schedule in the following ways:

Deploy changes as soon as possible.

Unidesk tries to start the deployment tasks as soon as it can, instead of waiting for a maintenance window to occur.

Unidesk shuts down the desktops and deploys the configuration changes, even if users are still logged on to the

desktops.

Deploy changes at a specified time.

Unidesk deploys the changes after the specified time occurs instead of waiting for a maintenance window to occur. At

that time, Unidesk shuts down the desktops and deploys the configuration changes, even if users are still logged on to


the desktops.

Deploy changes after the user logs off or restarts a desktop.

This option allows the desktop user to control when Unidesk deploys configuration changes. Unidesk waits for the first

time when a user logs off or restarts the desktop, instead of waiting for a maintenance window to occur. Unidesk

deploys the configuration changes as soon as the user logs off or restarts the desktop.

After you select a maintenance schedule override, it remains in effect until the next time Unidesk rebuilds the bootable

images for the desktops. Afterward, the selected maintenance schedule applies to future changes.

User changes are exempt from maintenance schedules

Some configuration changes are exempt from maintenance schedules. Unidesk deploys end-user initiated changes that

affect boot-level files as soon as possible after a desktop shuts down. For example, if an end user installs an application or

an automatic update changes boot-level files, Unidesk does not wait for a maintenance window to occur before it deploys

these changes.

The Task bar in the Unidesk Management Console displays these tasks as system tasks, as shown in the following example.

Effect of shutting down desktops outside of a maintenance schedule

If you shut down desktops outside of the time periods specified in a maintenance schedule, Unidesk does not deploy

pending configuration changes unless you select one of the maintenance schedule override options. Instead, Unidesk waits

until the next maintenance window in the schedule occurs before starting the deployment tasks.

For example, if the maintenance schedule for a desktop specifies that deployment tasks should occur between 6 PM and

11 PM and you shut down the desktop at 5 PM, Unidesk waits until 6 PM occurs before starting deployment tasks for that

desktop.

Create a maintenance schedule

In the Create and Edit Desktop wizards, use the Maintenance Schedule tab to add a new maintenance schedule for the

selected desktops.

Once created, you can assign a maintenance schedule to any desktop and manage the schedule using System > Settings

and Configuration.

To create a maintenance schedule.

1. In the Create Desktop or the Edit Desktop wizard, go to the Maintenance Schedule tab and select Add New Schedule

from the schedule list. This opens the Create Maintenance Schedule window.

2. Enter a name for the schedule.

3. Click Add.

4. Select the days of the week and the time frames for the maintenance window.

If you want constrain the maintenance window to a single day, select that day in both day lists. For example, selecting

Monday through Monday defines a maintenance window for that day only.

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/systemtask.png


5. Click Apply.

6. Click Create.

7. Complete the wizard to save the new maintenance schedule.

Note: The wizard does not save the new maintenance schedule until you complete the wizard.

Create a custom maintenance schedule for selected desktops

In the Create or Edit Desktop wizard, use the Maintenance Schedule tab to create a custom maintenance schedule for the

selected desktops.

After you create a custom maintenance schedule, you can assign it to any desktop in the Unidesk environment and manage

it in the System > Settings and Configuration module.

1. In the Create Desktop or the Edit Desktop wizard, go to the Maintenance Schedule tab and select Add New Schedule

from the list.

Result: This action opens the Create Maintenance Schedule window.

2. Enter a name for the schedule.

3. Add a maintenance window.

1. Click Add below the Maintenance Windows box.

2. Select the start and end day for the maintenance window.

If you want to constrain the maintenance window to a single day, select that day as both the start and end day. For

example, selecting Monday through Monday defines a maintenance window for that day only.

3. Select the start and end time for each day in the maintenance window.

4. Click Apply.

5. Repeat these steps to add additional maintenance windows.

4. Specify when you want Unidesk to deploy configuration changes during a maintenance window:

After the user is logged off for at least 10 minutes.

If you select this option, logged-on users must log off and remain logged off for at least 10 minutes before Unidesk

deploys configuration changes to those desktops. If a user remains logged in, Unidesk waits for the next maintenance

window before it tries to deploy the configuration changes. Unidesk deploys configuration changes to any selected

desktop that has no active users.

As soon as possible.

If you select this option, Unidesk shuts down desktops and deploys the changes, even if users are still logged on.

5. Click Create.

6. Complete the wizard to save the new maintenance schedule. The wizard does not save the new maintenance schedule

until you complete the wizard.

View maintenance schedules


2. Navigate to Maintenance Schedule Configuration.


3. Select a maintenance schedule from the list. The schedule displays the Maintenance schedule name and the

Maintenance windows.

Schedule desktop maintenance

Once created, you can assign a maintenance schedule to any desktop, and manage the schedule using System > Settings

and Configuration.

Modify a maintenance schedule

Use the following procedure to modify the maintenance windows in a maintenance schedule.

1. In the Create Desktop or the Edit Desktop wizard, go to the Maintenance Schedule tab and select a schedule from the

schedule list.

When you select a schedule, the wizard displays the maintenance windows that are defined for that schedule. Each

maintenance window contains the days when maintenance activities occur and a time frame that defines the duration

of the window.

2. Click Modify.

This action opens the Modify Maintenance Schedule window.

3. If you want to change the name for the schedule, enter a new name for the schedule.

4. Select a maintenance window that you want to change and click Modify.

5. Select the days of the week and the time frame for the maintenance window.



6. Click Apply.

7. Click SaveSave .

8. Complete the Desktop Wizard to save your changes.

Add maintenance windows to a maintenance schedule

Use the following procedure to add maintenance windows to a maintenance schedule.

1. In the Create Desktop or the Edit Desktop wizard, go to the Maintenance Schedule tab and select a maintenance

schedule from the schedule list.

2. Click Modify.

This action opens the Edit Maintenance Schedule window.

3. Click Add.

4. Select the days of the week and the time frame for the new maintenance window.



5. Click Apply.


6. Click Save.

7. Complete the Desktop Wizard to save your changes.

Delete a maintenance window in a maintenance schedule

Use the following procedure to delete a maintenance window in a maintenance schedule.

1. In the Create Desktop or the Edit Desktop wizard, go to the Maintenance Schedule tab and select a schedule from the

schedule list.

2. Click Modify.

3. Select one or more maintenance window windows and click Delete.

4. When prompted to confirm whether you want to delete the selected windows, click Save.

5. Complete the wizard to save the changes.


Monitor desktop tasks

Jun 28 , 2017

Once a Desktop task begins, you can monitor its progress to ensure that it completes as expected.

About Task priorities

Depending on task priorities, it 's possible that some of your Desktop backups and restores might not complete, as

expected, when other tasks start or are in progress. For example, in most cases, a backup task has a lower priority that

other tasks, such as a restore or a rebuild of the desktop bootable image.

The following table describes some of the conditions that cause Unidesk to cancel a backup task.

IF ...IF ... AND...AND... T HEN...T HEN...

A scheduled or on-demand backup is inprogress

A desktop restore or rebuild startsUnidesk cancels the currently runningbackup..

A desktop restore or rebuild is inprogress

An scheduled backup starts Unidesk cancels the backup.

A desktop restore or rebuild is inprogress

An administrator starts an on-demand backup

Unidesk cancels the backup.

When Unidesk cancels a scheduled backup, it tries to back up the desktop at the next scheduled time.

Avoid configuring maintenance schedules that overlap your backups schedules. If a backup is running or tries to start during

a maintenance window activity, Unidesk cancels the backup. Overlapping the two schedules can result in Unidesk not

creating all of the backups that you expect.

Monitor a Desktop Backup or Restore

Use the Task bar to monitor the restore tasks. Each restore task includes subtasks for each affected desktop.

1. Open the Task bar and locate the restore task.

2. Click next to the Restore or Backup task to open the Subtask view.

The Subtask view contains a subtask for each desktop that the software is restoring or backing up. You can monitor the

different steps in the processes as they occur.

For details about monitoring tasks, see Monitor Tasks.

Cancel a Desktop Restore subtask

Use the Subtask view in the Task bar to cancel the Restore task for the User Layer of a Desktop.

1. In the Task bar, locate the Restore task.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/monitor_unidesk_health/admin_umc_monitor_tasks


2. Click next to the Restore task to open the Subtask view.

3. Locate the restore subtask that you want to cancel.

4. Click Cancel.The selected restore task stops. The remaining subtasks continue to run.


Desktop diagnostic tools

Jun 28 , 2017

Use the Edit action in the Desktops module to generate log files or run the chkdsk utility on a desktop. Typically, you use

these functions when you are trying to resolve problem with a desktop.

The chkdsk utility

Select the chkdsk option if you suspect that volume problems are causing operational issues on a desktop. The chkdsk

utility tries to repair problems such as bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and directory errors.

When you select this function, the software notifies the desktop that it needs to run the chkdsk utility the next time it

restarts and displays a message for this task in the Task bar. After the desktop runs the chkdsk utility, the Task bar displays

a message that indicates the status of this task.

Desktop diagnostic log files

Technical Support may request these files when they are trying to determine the root cause of a problem.

When you select this function, the software locates and exports the relevant log files from the desktop and the

Management Appliance. The software creates a gzipped tar file that contains all of the log files.

When the log export is complete, the following events occur:

The software sends an email notif ication to all recipients, if email notif ication is configured.The email message contains

links to the gzipped tar f iles on the desktop and the Management Appliance.

The software displays a task in the Task bar that includes links to the gzipped tar f iles on the desktop and the

Management Appliance.

To view the log files, download them and extract them using a file compression utility such as the WinZip® product.

1. In the Desktops module, select a desktop and select Edit Desktops from the Action bar. This opens the Edit Desktop

wizard.

2. In the Diagnostic Selection tab, select Run Advanced Feature. Here you can select a diagnostic function.

3. If the status of the selected desktop is Running, select the Run Chkdsk Ut ilit yRun Chkdsk Ut ilit y function.

4. If the status of the selected desktop is Stopped, select the Export deskt op logsExport deskt op logs function.If you select this function,

enter one or more email recipients who receive the exported logs. To enter multiple recipients, separate each address

with a comma (,) or a semi-colon (;).

5. In the Confirm and Complete tab, enter a comment, if required, and click Update Desktop. If you enter comments, they


This topic describes possible desktop and Installation Machine status messages. You can see these messages by selecting

Deskt opsDeskt ops in the Unidesk Management Console, or by opening a desktop's Information view.


St at usSt at usmessagemessage

Descript ionDescript ion

Creatingbackup

The desktop is creating a backup of its current configuration and f iles.

Creatingimage

The software is creating a new bootable image for the desktop.

Creatingmachine

The software is in the process of creating the desktop. This process involves creating a virtual machine inthe virtual infrastructure.

Deleting The software is in the process of deleting the desktop.

In Use

A user is logged into the desktop.

Note: Whether the desktop is owned by a user, or by a pool/group, the In Use status is displayed when a

user is logged into the desktop.

Invalid StateA system error is preventing the creation or changing of a desktop. Verify that the CachePoint Appliancethat is hosting the desktop is operating normally.

No machine

This state occurs when

The virtual infrastructure has not yet created a virtual machine during a desktop creation task

The virtual infrastructure deleted the virtual machine during a desktop deletion task.

This state exists for a short time only, unless a system error occurs.

Poweringon

The virtual machine associated with the desktop is powering on and preparing to start the guestoperating system.

Rebuildrequired

The last Desktop reconfiguration task did not complete, so Unidesk is not booting the Desktop. Retry

the last reconfiguration task, and if that doesn’t work, rebuild the Desktop. For detailed steps, click here:

RestoringThe software is restoring the desktop to a previous configuration or to a different CachePointAppliance.

Running The desktop is powered on and ready for use.

ShuttingDown

The desktop is shutting down the guest operating system and powering off .

Starting The desktop is starting the guest operating system on the virtual machine.

Stopped The desktop is powered off .

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/state-desktop-unusable


Unrecovered A failure occurred that affected the CachePoint Appliance that was hosting the desktop. Restoring thedesktop to another CachePoint Appliance is required.



Jun 28 , 2017

Backup of the Master CachePoint (MCP) is problematic using standard backup applications because the layers created by

the MCP are independent non-persistent disks that are only loosely associated with a virtual machine. Almost all backup

applications only backup dependent disks associated with a virtual machine.

The Unidesk Appliance Backup Utility provides a mechanism to back up the vmdk files created by the MCP to a backup

VMware datastore. Also, it provides the ability to back up the Master Cachepoint virtual machine and the Management

Appliance virtual machine at the same time.

During the backup the MCP virtual machine will be shut down prior to and started up after the backup. This ensures that

the MCP appliance and the shared layers will be safely backed up. For the MA you have a choice to shut down the MA prior

to backup or create a snapshot for the backup. If you choose to not shutdown the appliance before backup, the backup

will be a “Crash Consistent" backup which means that it will be in the same state as if you powered off a server with the

power button. This is because a snapshot is taken, then the VM’s files are copied directly from the source but the snapshot

is not copied.

Requirements and limitations

In order to use this backup utility to back up the MCP Layers, MCP Appliance and Management Appliance

• The MA and MCP must be in the same vCenter Server

• You must have an Administrator account for vCenter

• The backup datastore(s) must be accessible from at least one host in the vCenter

• Windows 7 Client or Windows 2008 R2 Server to run the backup utility (backup host)

• VMware PowerCLI 5 or later installed on the backup host

• Mail Relay to receive warning and status email messages

• When restoring the appliance names and IP addresses must remain exactly the same, therefore document appliance and

datastores names

Note it is possible to use normal virtualization backup applications like vRanger and Veeam to back up the MA, However, the

MA should be backed up at approximately the same time as the MCP to ensure their data is in sync.

How the Backup Utility works

The utility has an HTA application acting as the front end interface to several PowerShell/PowerCLI scripts. The application

calls the scripts passing configuration information and the scripts carry out the backups on the vCenter server.

What it backs up

This utility can be used to back up the MCP appliance virtual machine and the shared MCP layers which include OS layers

and Application layers. You can also back up the Management Appliance virtual machine.


This utility does not back up the desktops or personalization layers for desktops installed on the MCP. If you use the MCP

in a POC environment without secondary CP’s you should also configure Unidesk personalization layer backups for the

Master CachePoint. These will back up the personalization layers for any desktops that you create on the MCP.

This utility will backup snapshot files but having snapshots on the MCP for any length of time not recommended. If

snapshots are taken prior to an upgrade, remove them as soon as the upgrade proves to be stable. Do not use snapshots

for long periods of time on Unidesk CPs.

This application will not back up your Gold Images. You should create backups of gold images using a VM aware backup tool

or by exporting an OVF file of the gold image to a safe location.

The Unidesk Appliance Backup Utility uses HTTPS to send status information to the Management Appliance. The machine

where the Appliance Backup Utility is running must have HTTPS access through any firewalls to the Management Appliance.

The first thing you must do to use the utility is to download and install the VMware PowerCLI software onto your backup

console machine. This link will take you to the download page at the time this document was written: Powercli Download

Installation of the backup utility is very easy. Create a folder in a path with no spaces for example c:\unideskMcpBackupc:\unideskMcpBackup.

Unfortunately spaces make it hard to include in a cmd file if you want to schedule a task to run the backup regularly. Then

unpack the source zip file into this directory. Before unpacking check the properties of the zip file to see if they may be

blocked as shown on the below. If they are click unblock. This will unblock all of the files as long as you unblock the zip

before you extract the files.

Then Open the executable and you will see the following screen.

The table at the top is used to configure the settings required to run the backups. The information is split into sections as

follows. Note the plus signs toggle the section between hidden and visible.

Section 1 Connection Information

Enter your vCenter Server, account and password and click Save Credentials. Then click to Get the Datacenter and choose

the appropriate entry. Lastly click "Get VMs and Datastores" to obtain a list for the utility drop downs.

This will create a file in the source directory called cred.xml as shown here.

The password is encrypted based on the logged in user and the desktop and cannot be moved to another machine or used

by another login. Therefore if you choose to run the backup as a scheduled task you must be logged on as the user you will

define to run the scheduled task on the machine that you will run the scheduled task when you create the cred file.

Section 2 Appliance Inclusion

https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/details?productId=285&downloadGroup=VSP510-PCLI-510


Here you define whether you will move the MA and MCP appliances along with the CP Layer datastore items. You can also

define whether or not you want to shut down the MA before the move or use a snapshot. If this is a one-time copy we

recommend shutting down the MA.

Note: if the MA is shutdown during this process this can interrupt other management tasks the MA performs such as

desktop backups.

Section 3 Appliance MCP Information

Here you enter the MCP VM and target datastore.

Section 4 MA Information

Here you enter the MA VM and target datastore.

Sect ion 5 Misc. Backup Inf ormat ionSect ion 5 Misc. Backup Inf ormat ion

In this section you set the target folder and define the configuration for old backup removal. You also define the number of

backups to keep, whether to remove backups before or after the current backup and whether to compare the number of

files backed up to the number that should have been backed up and only remove the old backups if these match.

Note: if the Manage/Remove Old backups setting is not checked then old backups will never be removed by the utility.

Section 6 Scheduled Task

This section allows you to create a scheduled task on the machine you are running the backup utility on. It is very important

to choose appropriate times for the backup.

CAUTION: This utility will shut down the MCP when the backup runs and can be configured to shut down the MA. If these

appliances are performing rebuild activities when they are shut down there could be unintended consequences. Try to

schedule the backups when you are not performing other administrative tasks with the MA or MCP.

Choose whether to run the task daily or weekly, if weekly select the day of the week. Define the time to start the task and

the account to run the task under. Remember that you must create the cred.xml file using the same account on the same

desktop that will run the task or it will not be able to decrypt the password to connect to the host.

If you use a domain account use Domain\account if local use Desktop_Name\account.

If you want to have a different schedule than daily or weekly, create the task then go into the Task Scheduler and

change the schedule.

To create the task press Creat e TaskCreat e Task.

Section 7 Email Configuration

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/unidesk_backup_utility_section2.png





This section is used to configure mail relay settings and a warning email. If mail is configured, the utility will send a warning

message when starting the backup process. Based on item E below the utility will wait “x" minutes before starting the

backup. This will allow the administrators to cancel the backup if they determine that shutting down the MCP and

optionally the MA will cause issues with current activity. The value for “x" can be 0,5,10,20, or 30 minutes. The default value

is 10 minutes. If this section is configured the application will also mail the backup log following the backup.

To configure and use this functionality:

1. Enter the appropriate mail relay and mail address information. Relays have different requirements.

If the relay is “open", then the “From Address" can be any desired text string; it does not have to be a real email

address, though it can be.

If the relay requires authentication, check the “Use Auth" and if you want to use ssl, check the "Use SSL" box in D and

enter the account and password. Typically these will be the Active Directory Account and Password.

2. In either case, enter the “To Address" information which can be a single address or multiple addresses delimited using a

comma.

3. Modify F and G as appropriate.

4. In the Body, be sure to modify the wait time to match what is chosen in E. It is also advisable to add which machine the

backup is running on. The message body is html. Therefore normal html tags can be used for bold (<b></b>) and line

breaks (</br>) etc.

5. When the settings are completed press the “Save and Test Email Config" button. This will save the configuration to a

text file and send a test email.

6. Ensure the test email is successful. If a password is used it is saved in encrypted form based on the logged in user.

Therefore the settings must be made and saved using the account that will run the backups just like section 1.

When the configuration is complete save by pressing the Save Configuration button. This will update the CMDLINE in

section 6 and create a text file in the source directory called config.txt and this configuration will be loaded whenever you

open the backup utility.

If you are upgrading from an older version

Create a new folder on the root of the c drive with no spaces and unpack the utility. Then configure as defined above but

enter the same destination datastore as used in the older version. Then copy the contents of the log folder from your old

version to the new version.


Back up the Management Appliance

Jun 28 , 2017

It 's important to back up the Management Appliance (MA) and the Master CachePoint Appliance (MCP) so you can restore

your Desktops in a pinch. You should back up your MA and MCP as often as you want your Layers and Desktops to be

saved. This is so important, you'll receive a warning each time you log into the Unidesk Management Console until you've

backed up these appliances for the first time. And, you can configure reminders to help you remember to run the backups as

often as you need to.

Not e:Not e: Secondary CachePoint Appliances do not require backups, because you can restore your entire environment from

the backups of your MA and MCP.

Check the Backup status for the MA and MCP

In the UMC, you can easily see when the MA and MCP were last backed up.

1. Log into the UMC and select Syst em > Manage AppliancesSyst em > Manage Appliances.

2. Next to the MA and the MCP, check the Last BackupLast Backup column for the last successful backup.

3. If you want to see the last 3 backup attempts (whether the backups were successful or not), you can click the appliance

“i” and look at the Appliance Backups section.

Configure Backup Reminders in the UMC

In the UMC, you can set reminders to help you remember to back up the MA and MCP.

Not e:Not e: You can also disable the reminder for the MA and/or MCP by setting the reminder values to 0.

To set this reminder:

1. Log into the UMC and select Syst em > Set t ings and Conf igurat ionSyst em > Set t ings and Conf igurat ion.

2. Click the EditEdit icon for Appliance Backup Settings.

3. Set the number of days until the next Backup Reminder for the MA and for the MCP.

4. Click SaveSave .

Do snapshots of the MA and MCP

If you do not check the option to shut down the MA appliance before the backup is taken the script will create a snapshot

of the appliance before copying the disk files. If you look at the snapshot manager after the snapshot has been taken it

will look similar to this. If you see a snapshot when no backups are running you should troubleshoot why it would still be

there and delete it using the VIC.

Run a backup on demand

If you want to run a backup on demand click the Run Backup button. This will launch the backup PowerShell script and you

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/unidesk_backup_utility_use_ma_snapshots.png


will see the backup running interactively.

Not eNot e : At the bottom of the Backup Utility page, there is a section for MA backups and restores. When you run a backup

from the user interface or a scheduled task it updates the text files that drive this interface. If you think the files are out of

sync with the actual backups stored on the datastore just click the Update Backup Information button and the utility will

query the datastore and reload any backups if finds on the backup store.

After a backup is run the backup list will be updated and you can view the backup logs by clicking the Info button. You will

only be able to view logs on the same machine the backup is run from.

Check the log files

The logs are stored in the source log directory on the system running the backups. They can be moved to another backup

machine but you must delete the cred.xml file and reset credentials if you move to another machine.

Below is an example of a partial backup log. Note if you backup the MCP and MA they will be listed in separate sections but

the log is the same for both. Log files look like this.

The log files are never removed automatically so they will grow in the source directory. Keep them or remove them as

desired.

If the email relay is configured, logs will be emailed to the address list after each backup. If any errors are logged during the

backup, this will be noted in the status email and the errors shown in the log file.

Near the top of the log there is a section called Warnings, it’s listed before Errors. Currently warnings will be shown for any

appliance that has a VMware snapshot applied to it prior to a backup just to ensure that administrators know when they

have a snapshot running on the MA or MCP.

Stop a running backup

A running backup can be stopped by either closing the PowerShell CMD window or stopping the scheduled task depending

on whether the backup was started interactively or as a task. Remember the copy commands are running on the vCenter

Server and when you stop the backup the last task started will run until it finishes. If desired the task can be canceled using

the VIC.

Delete a backup

You can delete a backup by clicking delete and answering YesYes to the prompt.

Restore from a backup

There are three scenarios possible for the restore operation:


1. Restore to the same datastore

2. Restore to a new datastore

3. Restore to a new vCenter

We will provide the steps necessary to perform the install for each case in the following sections.

CAUTION: When restoring the appliances names and IP addresses should remain the same as they were originally.

Therefore good documentation is suggested.

Restore to the same datastore

You restore by clicking Rest oreRest ore from the backup table.

If you have previously restored to a different vCenter you will be prompted to keep the previously created credential file. If

this is indeed the vCenter you want to restore to now say yes. If not say no.

You will then be presented with the restore interface:

When restoring to the same datastore just click run restore. The default datastore and target folder should be correct.

Not e t hat t o perf orm a rest ore, t he f older f or t he appliance on t he source dat ast ore must not exist .Not e t hat t o perf orm a rest ore, t he f older f or t he appliance on t he source dat ast ore must not exist . If you

want to keep the current version you must first shut down the appliance and move it to a temporary folder using the VIC

datastore browser. If you try to restore with the folder still there you will get the following error.

After the restore is complete, power on the appliances MA first. Allow the MA to boot to the logon prompt then start the

MCP.

If the installation machines were on the failed host or storage and they do not exist, delete them from the UDMC and

recreate them. If they are still intact they should work fine.

Now the recovery should be complete.

To refresh the restore tables in the main interface after a restore click Refresh Page. This will allow you to then review the

restore log.

Restore to a new datastore

The following process can be used to restore the appliances to new host and new datastore.

1. Remove MA and/or MCP from inventory if they are still there.

2. Restore f iles using the restore function of the appliance backup application.

3. Add the Machines to inventory.

4. Start the MA.

5. Fix the network interface (if required).

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/unidesk_backup_utility_use_restore.png

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/unidesk_backup_utility_use_restore3.png


6. Reboot MA.

7. Edit MA properties in Unidesk to allow new host and new datastore for Unidesk.

8. Start MCP.

9. Synchronize Infrastructure.

10. Edit MCP Properties in Unidesk to define proper storage.

11. Reinstall Install Machines if necessary.

Here we will define each step in more detail:

1. Remove MA/and or MCP from inventory if they are still there.

In this scenario where we are changing datastores, you will have to remove the old virtual machine from inventory

because we will be adding them from the new datastore.

2. Then restore the MCP and MA. Choose Change for the Target Datastore and select the new datastore. If it is not in

the list refresh the list with the Get New button.

3. When the correct datastore is assigned run the restore. When you press the Run Restore button the restore starts

immediately, there is no further prompting. This will copy all of the files from the backup folders to the production

folders.

4. Then Add the Machines to Inventory by Browsing to their vmx file using the VIC Datastore Browser, right clicking and

selecting add to inventory. It is a good practice when you add them back in to inventory that you use the EXACT same

name within vCenter.

5. Power on the MA. You will be prompted to say whether this system has been moved or copied. Choose moved.

6. Edit the Ethernet rules file the MA using the vCenter Console if necessary.

In some cases the NIC will change on restore, to eth1. We will want to change this back to eth0. The symptom to know

when this happens is that you cannot ping the appliance.

1. vi /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules.

2. Delete the first block entry and change the eth1 to eth0 in the second block.

3. The resulting file will look like the figure here.

7. Reboot the MA; let the MA fully start up.

8. Modify the Management Appliance Properties to allow the new datastore for all the hosts and remove the datastore

for the old host if it will no longer be used.

9. If required Edit the eth0/1 interface as in step 6 for the MCP.

10. Logon to the UDMC and modify the Master CP Properties to enable the new datastore.





11. Power on the MCP. You will be prompted to say whether this system has been moved or copied. Choose movedChoose moved.

12. Log onto the UDMC and synchronize Infrastructure to re-acquire the VM-ID for the Master CP which will have changed

because we added the VM back to inventory.

1. Synchronize Infrastructure is accessed from the Management AppliancesManagement Appliances Action Menu. When you run the utility it

matches up Unidesk Desktops and CachePoints to their VM-ID’s. Note if you do not remove the original appliance

VM’s from inventory the synchronization will fail.

2. After it analyzes the information click next to see the following screen. It should find the MCP, select the check box

to remap.

13. Remove and Reinstall Install Machines if necessary.

Now the recovery should be complete.

Restore to a new vCenter

It is possible to restore the MA and MCP to a new vCenter in order for example to recover from a major SAN failure. The

steps are pretty much the same as the steps to restore to a new datastore with a few additional steps.

1. You do not have to change the backup application configuration to do this. Select the restore, then when the restore

interface comes up, change the vCenter to restore to here first. Click Change vCenter then enter the connection

information and “save credentials”. You will need administrator credentials to perform the restore. Both the source and

target datastores need to be available in the new vCenter. If the datastore name remains the same it’s easier to restore

but you can change the name if required.

When you choose “save credentials” script will be run to get the new list of Datacenters, and Datastores

2. Then restore the MA and MCP. Configure the source and target datastores as required. It will default to the same name

as defined in the backup utility. You can also change the Datacenter, Target Datastore and Target Folder if required.

3. Follow the directions as outlined in the previous section just remember to reconfigure the vCenter connection to

connect to the new vCenter and to choose the new datacenter.

Not eNot e : If you need to change the appliance IP addresses follow the guidelines here “Changing IP addresses for Unidesk

virtual appliances”

User Layers on the MCP are not backed up

User Layers are not backed up or restored by this utility. If you have desktops managed by the Master CachePoint, you

must use the User Layer Backups and Restore the desktops using that facility after recovering the MCP and MA.

Installation Machines


https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/knowledgebase-attachments/Changing IP addresses for Unidesk virtual appliances_4.pdf



After recovery you should delete and recreate your installation machines.

Target folder

When backups are run, the target folder structure will look similar to the following.

The scripts create a folder under the target datastore and the target folder for the MCP backups, and if selected, the MA

backups. Under these folders there will be a backup folder named by the date and time the backup is run. Within the backup

folder there will be the appliance itself and a folder called UnideskLayers which holds all of the independent non-persistent

disks created by the MCP.

VMDK files for multiple versions of Layers

If you have multiple versions of a layer there will be several vmdk files in the application folder.

When we copy the layer vmdk files they are copied as Thin provisioned disks. When we restore them, they are copied the

way they start out so for the MCP layers they stay Thin, for the appliance vmdk’s the are copied out as Thick.

Status indicators in the Backup Utility

In the Datastore information we show free space and capacity for the source and target datastore. This value is updated

after every backup. You can manually update the information by clicking on Update FreeSpace. Also to reload the backups

or restores use Refresh Page.

The free space is color coded based on the amount of space, and the amount of the largest backup currently on the

backup store. The color coding is based on the following:

Green = > 2.5 times space of largest backup

Yellow < 2.5 times space of largest backup

Red < 1.3 times space of largest backup

The expected storage required by backups is calculated using the largest backup size. In the current backup list time the

number of backups to keep plus one because we don’t delete until after the backup is taken. This is also color coded based

on whether there is enough capacity on the target volume for the expected storage.

https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/unidesk_backup_utility_file_structure1.png



https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/unidesk_backup_utility_use_restore_status1.png




Tasks in the VMware Virtual Infrastructure Client (VIC)

The tasks run by this utility will show up in vCenter and can be cancelled there.


Configure the Management Appliance

Jun 28 , 2017

You can configure the Management Appliance settings, as follows. .

ApplianceApplianceset t ingsset t ings

SummarySummary

Hosts andstorage

1. Log into the Unidesk Management Console (UMC).

2. Click Syst em > Manage AppliancesSyst em > Manage Appliances.

3. Select the appliance, and click Edit propert iesEdit propert ies .

Infrastructuresettings

1. Log into the UMC.


3. Select the appliance, and click Set Up Inf rast ruct ureSet Up Inf rast ruct ure .

HTTPCertif icates


2. Click Syst em > Set t ings and Conf igurat ionSyst em > Set t ings and Conf igurat ion.

3. Scroll to HT T PHT T P , and click the pencil icon.

4. Use the UploadUpload and Generat eGenerat e buttons to upload an existing certif icate or generate a new one.

IP address

1. Enter the URL of the appliance at port 5480:

https://appliance-ip-address:5480

2. Click Net workNet work > AddressAddress .

3. Choose St at icSt at ic from the IPv4 Address T ypeIPv4 Address T ype menu.

4. Edit network addresses.

5. Click Save Settings.

6. Restart the appliance.

7. Change the MA IP address on each CachePoint.

T ime Zone



2. Click T ime ZoneT ime Zone.

3. Select the Syst em T ime ZoneSyst em T ime Zone.



1. In vSphere, select the appliance, and if it is not running, power it on.

2. Using either the vSphere console or SSH, log into the appliance as administrator (default password

Unidesk1) This opens the Setup Utility.

3. At the Setup utility's Action prompt, enter PP (for Password change), and press Ret urnRet urn.


Administratorpassword

4. When prompted, enter the new password, and then confirm the password. A message confirms

that the ** Password changed successfully.

5. Press the Ent erEnt er key to continue.

6. At the Action prompt, enter QQ to quit.

Rootpassword*

If you are comfortable using Linux, use the vSphere console or SSH to log into the appliance as root(for the default password, please contact Support), and enter Linux commands to change the rootpassword. If you are not comfortable changing the root password via Linux commands, the UnideskSupport team would be happy to help.

NTPconfiguration*

1. Using the vSphere console or SSH, log into the appliance as root (for the default password, please

contact Support). This brings you to the Linux command line.

2. Disable or enable the NTP daemon, by running the chkconfig nt pdchkconfig nt pd command with the value set to

of fof f or onon. For example, this command enables the NTP daemon:

# chkconfig ntpd onon

3. Open the NTP configuration file (/etc/ntp.conf) for editing using either emacs or vi. For example:

# emacs /etc/ntp.conf

4. Edit the NTP clock server(s) to use by adding and subtracting servers in the list at the bottom of the

configuration file.

# Use public servers from the pool.ntp.org project.

# Please consider joining the pool (http://www.pool.ntp.org/join.html).

server 0.centos.pool.ntp.org



5. Type Ct rl-XCt rl-X Ct rl-CCt rl-C, and choose YY to save the file.

6. Reboot the appliance.

For more about configuring NTP

1. Register with the Redhat Customer Portal.

2. See the RedHat NTP documentation.

Time andDate*



2. Enter the date command. For example:

# date 03271327

* This procedure requires you to log into the appliance as root, use the Linux command line, and/or edit a Linux .config file.

If you are not familiar with Linux, our Support team will be happy to do this for you.

http://www.redhat.com/

https://access.redhat.com/home


Manage a CachePoint Appliance

Jun 28 , 2017

After you deploy and power on the CachePoint Appliance, you can change the settings, as follows. .

ApplianceApplianceset t ingsset t ings

SummarySummary

Hosts andstorage

1. Log into the Unidesk Management Console (UMC).


3. Select the MA, and click Edit propert iesEdit propert ies .

4. Configuration tab:

Infrastructuresettings



3. Select the appliance, and click Set Up Inf rast ruct ureSet Up Inf rast ruct ure .

HTTPCertif icates


2. Click Syst em > Set t ings and Conf igurat ionSyst em > Set t ings and Conf igurat ion.

3. Scroll to HT T PHT T P , and click the pencil icon.

4. Use the UploadUpload and Generat eGenerat e buttons to upload an existing certif icate or generate a new one.

IP address



2. Log into the appliance Management Utility as administrator (default password Unidesk1).

3. Click Net workNet work > AddressAddress .

4. Choose St at icSt at ic from the IPv4 Address T ypeIPv4 Address T ype menu.

5. Edit network addresses.



CachePoint'sIP address forits MA

If the IP address for the Management Appliance changes, run this procedure on each CachePoint

Appliance so it can communicate with the Management Appliance again.

1. In vSphere, select the CachePoint and power it on.



3. In the Setup utility enter MM for Modify.

4. Enter the MA's IP addressMA's IP address , and then YY to confirm it.

5. Enter YY to exit the Setup utility.

1. Enter the URL of the MA at port 5480:


Time Zone


2. Click T ime ZoneT ime Zone.

3. Select the Syst em T ime ZoneSyst em T ime Zone.



Administratorpassword

1. In vSphere, select the appliance, and if it is not running, power it on.



3. At the Setup utility's Action prompt, enter PP (for Password change), and press Ret urnRet urn.

4. When prompted, enter the new password, and then confirm the password. A message confirms

that the ** Password changed successfully.

5. Press the Ent erEnt er key to continue.

6. At the Action prompt, enter QQ to quit.

Rootpassword*

If you are comfortable using Linux, use the vSphere console or SSH to log into the appliance as root),and enter Linux commands to change the root password. If you need the root password, or are notused to changing the root password via Linux commands, the Unidesk Support team would be happyto help.

NTPconfiguration*



2. Open the NTP configuration file for editing.

3. Disable or enable the NTP daemon, by changing which command is commented out. This example

enables NTP.

# chkconfig ntpd of fof f

chkconfig ntpd onon

4. Edit the NTP clock server(s) to use by adding and subtracting servers.

# Use public servers from the pool.ntp.org project.

# Please consider joining the pool (http://www.pool.ntp.org/join.html).




5. Type Ct rl-XCt rl-X, and choose YY to save the file, then reboot the appliance.

Time andDate*



2. Enter the date command. For example:

# date 03271327


* This procedure requires you to log into the appliance as root, use the Linux command line, and/or edit a Linux .config file.

If you are not familiar with Linux, our Support team will be happy to do this for you.

You can receive email messages regarding issues with a CachePoint Appliance. To receive these messages, configure the

Management Appliance to send email messages to the designated addresses whenever there is an issue with a CachePoint

service.

If you configure email notifications in the Unidesk Management Console, the Management Appliance sends email

notifications to the designated addresses when an internal service failure on a CachePoint Appliance causes desktops to

become unusable. When these types of failures occur, the affected CachePoint Appliance initiates a restart of the

affected service. If the service continues to fail, the CachePoint Appliance initiates a complete restart of the virtual

appliance. In most cases, you do not need to take additional actions to correct this problem. Usually, restarting the service

or the affected CachePoint Appliance is sufficient.

The CachePoint Appliance tries to restart the service three times during a 60-minute time frame. If the service continues to

fail, the CachePoint Appliance tries to restart itself. If the restarts do not resolve the issue, you receive an email notification

indicating that an issue still exists.

Messages sent

The CachePoint Appliance sends the following types of email notifications for service failures:

Int ernal Int ernal CachePoint Appliance f ailure f ailure — When an internal service failure on one or more CachePoint Appliances

occurs, an email notif ication alerts you to the problem and informs you that a restart of the service or CachePoint

Appliance is going to occur.

Rest art complet ionRest art complet ion — After the restart completes, an email notif ication informs you that the restart of the affected

service or CachePoint Appliance completed successfully.

Rest art f ailedRest art f ailed — If the service or CachePoint Appliance restarts do not resolve the issue, an email notif ication alerts

you that the issue still exists and human intervention is required to resolve it.

Backup f ailedBackup f ailed — If a CachePoint Appliance backup fails, an email notif ication alerts you that you need to take action

to resolve the issue.

Actions to take

After being notif ied about a restart, monitor the CachePoint Appliances in the Unidesk Management Console and the

virtual infrastructure to verify that the CachePoint Appliances are operational before trying to access the affected

desktops.

If you encounter any problems with one or more desktops after the restart completes, use the Desktops > Restore

action in the Unidesk Management Console to return the desktop to a previous, operational state.

If you want to change the number of times the Management Appliance tries to restart the CachePoint Appliances,

contact Technical Support.

If the service or CachePoint Appliances restarts fail to resolve the issue, contact Technical Support for assistance.


Synchronize virtual machine values

Jun 28 , 2017

Unidesk components use virtual machine identifiers (VMIDs) to locate and communicate with each other. When you

provision or create the Management Appliance, CachePoint Appliances, Installation Machines, and desktops, the Unidesk

software stores these values in its database.

If changes to the virtual infrastructure cause these values to change, these components become unusable until you update

the Unidesk database with new values.

Virtual infrastructure changes that can affect VMIDs

Virtual infrastructure changes that can affect VMIDs include:

Migration of the vCenter to a new version that results in the creation of a new vCenter database.

Removal of virtual machines from the vCenter inventory that you add back into the inventory.

Removal of ESX servers from the vCenter inventory that you add back into the inventory.

About synchronizing the database and virtual machine values

The Synchronize Infrastructure wizard in the Unidesk Management Console compares the virtual machine values in the

Unidesk database with the values of virtual machines in the virtual infrastructure. When the comparison is complete, the

wizard lets you address any issues for virtual machines whose names match names in the Unidesk database but have

different VMIDs.

Options for correcting issues with VMIDs

To correct situations where virtual machine values in the database are different from those in the virtual infrastructure, you

can:

Map the new values to the existing values in the database.

Create new virtual machines for existing Unidesk components when the software cannot f ind the virtual machines that

used to be associated with these components.

Create new virtual machines for existing Install Machines when the software cannot f ind the virtual machines that used

to be associated with these Install Machines.

Database updates

If you are sure that a virtual machine whose name is stored in the Unidesk database is the same virtual machine that the

comparison process discovered, you can use the Synchronize Infrastructure wizard to update the database with the new

VMID. Once the update completes, the virtual machines should become usable again.

Creation of new virtual machines

If the database comparison cannot find virtual machines that match the names stored in the Unidesk database or if you

are unsure that a discovered virtual machine is the same as the unusable one in the Unidesk environment, you can use the

Synchronize Infrastructure wizard to recreate the virtual machine. The new virtual machine has the same name as the one

stored in the database, but it will be a completely new virtual machine. The Unidesk databases stores the VMID for the new

virtual machine. Once the creation of the new virtual machine completes, it should be usable again.


Creation of new Installation Machines

If the database comparison cannot find Installation Machines that match the names stored in the Unidesk database or if

you are unsure that a discovered Installation Machine is the same as the unusable one in the Unidesk environment, you can

use the Synchronize Infrastructure wizard to recreate the Installation Machine. The new Installation Machine has the same

name as the one stored in the database, but it will be a completely new virtual machine. The Unidesk databases stores the

VMID for the new virtual machine. Once the creation of the new Installation Machine completes, it should be usable again.

Run the Synchronize Infrastructure wizard

You must complete the wizard for synchronization to occur.

1. Select System > Manage Appliances.

2. Select the CachePoint(s) you want to compare and click Synchronize Infrastructure. This opens the Synchronize

Infrastructure wizard. The selected CachePoint(s) are displayed, along with the desktop count for each one.

3. In the Compare Virtual Machines tab, click Compare Virtual Machines. This compares the virtual machine names, VMIDs,

and MAC addresses in the Unidesk database with the virtual machines in the virtual infrastructure. This can take several

minutes.

If differences exist, go to step 4 of this procedure.

If no differences exist, click to exit the wizard. If the desktops or other components continue to be unusable,

contact Technical Support for assistance.

4. Select any or all of the following tabs if the virtual machine comparison indicates that changes are required::

Note: If you need to recreate a CachePoint Appliance, use the standard provisioning process for creating new

CachePoint appliances and restoring the User Layers. For instructions, see Create a CachePoint Appliance.

Remap CachePoint Appliances — Use this tab to map values from the virtual infrastructure to values for CachePoint

Appliances in the Unidesk database.

If a displayed virtual machine is the same as the original virtual machine associated with a CachePoint Appliance, map

the new values to the existing values for this virtual machine.

If the displayed virtual machine is not the same as the original one, you have to recreate it.

Remap Desktops — Use this tab to map values from the virtual infrastructure to the desktop values in the Unidesk

database.

If a displayed virtual machine is the same as the original virtual machine associated with a desktop, map the new

values to the existing values for this virtual machine.

Remap Installation Machines — Use this tab to map values from the virtual infrastructure to the Installation Machine

values in the Unidesk database.

If a displayed virtual machine is the same as the original virtual machine associated with an Installation Machine, use

this tab to map the new values to the existing values for this virtual machine.

If the displayed virtual machine is not the same as the original one, use the Recreate Installation Machines tab to

recreate it.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/create_a_secondary_cachepoint_appliance/deploy_cp_create


Recreate Installation Machines — Use this tab to create a new virtual machine for an existing Installation Machine.

Selecting this tab allows you to create a new virtual machine for a Installation Machine that exists in the Unidesk

database but does not exist in the virtual infrastructure.

5. In any of the Remap tabs, select the check box next to a specific component whose values you want to map or select

Remap All to map the values for all of the listed components.

Note: If you choose to not remap the values for a specific virtual machine, the wizard displays that virtual machine in the

appropriate Recreate tab. At that point, you have the option to recreate the virtual machine instead of mapping the

new values.

6. In any of the Recreate tabs, select the check box next to a specif ic component that you want to recreate or select

Recreate All to create new virtual machines for all of the listed components.

7. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the selected actions for the displayed components are correct and

clickSynchronize to start the specified actions.

To save the displayed action list to the system clipboard, click Copy to Clipboard.

8. Check the progress of the synchronization task by expanding the Task panel, and then the task called Reconnecting

CachePoint Appliances and desktops to virtual machines.



Jun 28 , 2017

The Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent lets you integrate Unidesk desktops with connection brokers:

Int egrat ing wit h t his broker:Int egrat ing wit h t his broker: Let s Unidesk...Let s Unidesk...

VMware View™ Connection Server

Create dedicated manual pools and add persistent desktops to those pools.

Add nonpersistent desktops to f loating-assignment manual pools.


Citrix® XenDesktop® ControllerAdd Unidesk desktops (persistent and nonpersistent) to XenDesktop catalogs.


For a list of supported connection brokers see Platform Support on the Unidesk Support website.

Ensure you have access to an account with administrator privileges on the connection broker server.

To install or upgrade the Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent



2. If you are planning to integrate with a Citrix XenDesktop environment, use Desktop Studio to create a catalog that has

a machine type of Existing.

3. Log into the View Connection Server or XenDesktop Controller using an account with administrator privileges.






Note: If you need to change the port number later, see the instructions in Edit settings for the Unidesk Virtual Desktop

Connection Broker Agent. And, if you change the port number on the connection broker server, remember to also change

the port number in the Unidesk Management Console.


If you need to remove the Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent and its service, complete the following steps to

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/deploy/about_this_release/plan_unidesk_platform_support

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_brokers/admin_broker_edit_unidesk_agent


uninstall them:

1. Log in to the VMware View Connection Server or XenDesktop Controller using an account with administrator privileges.

2. Run the via_setup.exe install program.

3. When prompted to select an installation option, select Remove. The install program removes all of the f iles in the

Unidesk folder.

If you need to reinstall the agent software, first use the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) to stop the UniVIA service

on the View Connection Servers or XenDesktop Controllers. This eliminates the need to restart the system to complete the

installation.


Edit the Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection BrokerAgent settings

Jun 28 , 2017

If you are experiencing network performance issues that are affecting communication between a VMware View

Connection Server or a Citrix® XenDesktop® Controller and Unidesk you can adjust settings for the Unidesk Virtual Desktop

Connection Broker Agent that extend the default timeout settings or change replication behavior for the View Connection

Server.

You can also change the port number that Unidesk uses to communicate with the connection broker server.

1. Log in to the View Connection Server or XenDesktop Controller where you installed the agent software.

2. Navigate to the agent installation folder.

Note: The default location for the installation folder is C:\Program Files\Unidesk\UniVIA.

3. Open the UniVIACS.exe.config f ile in a text editor.

4. Change any or all of the following settings:

Set t ingSet t ing Descript ionDescript ion

Port

The port number that the agent uses to communicate with the View Connection

Server or the XenDesktop Controller.

Default value: 390.

If you change the port on the connection broker server, remember to also change the

port setting in the Unidesk Management Console.

WaitTimeSecs

The amount of time, in seconds, that the agent waits for a request to the

connection broker to complete before accepting the next request.

Default value: 30 seconds.

KillT imeSecs

The amount of time, in seconds, that the agent waits after the WaitTimeSecs time

elapses for the connection broker to respond to a request.The agent cancels the

request after this time elapses.

Default value: 120 seconds.

Example: if WaitTimeSecs = 30 and KillT imeSecs = 120, the agent cancels requests

that take longer than 150 seconds to complete. (WaitTimeSecs + KillT imeSecs).

This setting applies to VMware View Connection Servers only.

Determines whether replication of the ADAM database to View Connection Server


SyncAdamOnSetMaintMode

replicas occurs when Unidesk places a desktop in Maintenance Mode.

Set the value to true to force replication to occur when Unidesk changes the

desktop state.

Set the value to false if you do not want replication to occur when Unidesk

changes the desktop state.

Default value: true

Unidesk places VMware View desktops in Maintenance Mode when it needs to

rebuild the desktop in order to change the desktop configuration.

SyncAdamExcludedServers

This setting applies to VMware View Connection Servers only.

Specifies one or more View Connection Server replicas that you want to exclude from

replication of the ADAM database.

Use a comma to separate enter each server name, for example,

server1,server2,server3.

If you are using View Connection Server replicas, you can choose to not have the

ADAM database replicated from the source View Connection Server when Unidesk

places a desktop in Maintenance Mode. You might want to use this setting if your

network is experiencing delays that are affecting the communication between

Unidesk and the View Connection Server.

5. Save the f ile.


Synchronize user assignments from connectionbrokers

Jun 28 , 2017

Unidesk synchronizes its information about user assignments for desktops integrated with VMware View and Citrix

XenDesktop once every three hours. When it updates the desktop assignments, the Unidesk Management Console

changes the user names in the Desktop icon and list views. It also changes the Information views for desktops and users to

indicate that they have a desktop assigned to them.

You can synchronize this information on demand instead of waiting for the automatic synchronization to occur.

About synchronizing Citrix XenDesktop user assignments

The Unidesk connection broker synchronization interacts with Citrix XenDesktop as follows:

If the Unidesk synchronization discovers more than one user is assigned to a desktop, the Unidesk Management Console

displays the f irst user it f inds as the desktop owner. Although Citrix XenDesktop supports the assignment of multiple

users, Unidesk supports the assignment of a single user only.

If the synchronization process discovers that a Unidesk desktop is no longer in a catalog, Unidesk disassociates the

desktop from the XenDesktop integration. In this situation, the desktop is no longer integrated with XenDesktop.

If you change the catalog settings in the Unidesk XenDesktop Controller settings, Unidesk continues to synchronize user

assignments for previously deployed desktops. Changing catalog settings affects new desktops only.

Synchronize connection broker user assignments on demand

1. Select System > Settings and Configurations.

2. To synchronize user assignments for desktops in VMware View pools:

Go to View Connection Server Settings and click Synchronize Pools.

The Management Appliance connects to the View Connection Server, obtains the most recent information about user

assignments for desktops in the current list of pools, and updates the appropriate displays in the Unidesk Management

Console.

3. To synchronize user assignments for desktops in Citrix XenDesktop catalogs and groups:

Go to Citrix XenDesktop Controller settings and click Synchronize Catalogs.

The Management Appliance connects to the Citrix XenDesktop Controller, obtains the most recent information about

user assignments for desktops in the XenDesktop catalogs and groups, and updates the appropriate displays in the

Unidesk Management Console.


Manage VMware Horizon View integration

Jun 28 , 2017

Once you integrate with VMware View, you can edit the pool details and manage the connection to the View Connection

Server via the Unidesk Management Console.

Configure pool details

You can change the names and descriptions for pools that the Unidesk Management Console displays. These changes are

also visible when you use your virtual infrastructure management tools to manage the virtual desktop pools.

Requirement

You must authenticate a connection to the connection broker before you can view pools and change their details.

Edit pool details

To edit pool details


2. In the Broker Settings box, click Edit.

3. In the Pools box, select a pool and click Modify.

4. In the displayed details box, change the name or description, as necessary.

Note: You cannot change the desktop ID. If you need to change this value, use the virtual management tools for this

purpose.

5. Click Save.

Edit connection details for a View Connection Server

You can change the details, such as the port number and server address for an existing connection to a VMware View

Connection Server.

To edit connection details:



3. Select the View Connection Server that you want to modify and click Modify.

4. Change the server address or host name, if necessary.

5. Change the port number, if necessary.

6. Click Test Connection to verify that the connection is valid.

7. Click Apply to update the View Connection Server details. The changes are displayed in the list; however, they do not

take effect until you complete the next step.

8. Click Save to save your changes and exit Edit mode.

Deleting a connection to a View Connection Server

To delete a connection to a VMware View Connection Server:




3. Select the View Connection Server that you want to delete and click Delete. The software removes the selected

connection from the list, but it does not delete the connection permanently until you complete the next step.

4. Click Save to delete the selected View Connection Server and exit Edit mode. Click Cancel to return to the last saved

settings.


Manage Citrix XenDesktop integration

Jun 28 , 2017

Once you integrate with Citrix XenDesktop, you can edit the default catalog selection and manage the connection to the

Citrix XenDesktop Controller via the Unidesk Management Console.

Edit a Citrix XenDesktop default catalog selection

You can edit XenDesktop Controller settings to change the selection for the default catalog. If the original catalog that

you selected no longer exists in the XenDesktop® infrastructure, the catalog selection is blank.



3. Click to refresh the current listing of valid catalogs.

4. Change the catalog selection for private or shared groups.


Edit a connection to a Citrix XenDesktop Controller

To change the details for a connection to a Citrix® XenDesktop® Controller:



3. Select the Controller whose settings you want to modify and click Modify.

4. Change the IP address or host name, if necessary.

5. Change the port number, if necessary.

6. Click Test Connection to verify that the connection is valid.

7. Click Apply to update the Controller details. The changes display in the list; however, they do not take effect until you

complete the next step.


Delete a connection to a Citrix XenDesktop Controller

To delete an existing connection to a Citrix® XenDesktop® Controller:



3. Select the XenDesktop Controller that you want to delete and click Delete. The software removes the selected

connection from the list, but it does not delete the connection permanently until you complete the next step.

4. Click Save to delete the settings for the selected XenDesktop Controller and exit Edit mode. Click Cancel to return to

the last saved settings.


Manage Pano Logic integration

Jun 28 , 2017

se the information in this topic and in the following Solutions Guide to manage integration with Pano Logic:

Using Unidesk 2.x with Pano Logic 5.x

Edit the connection to a Pano Manager server

A connection to a Pano Manager allows you to add Desktops to a Pano Desktop collection.

To edit a connection to a Pano Manager:


2. In the Pano Manager Server Settings box, click Edit.

3. Enter the connection details for the Pano Manager:

1. Enter the IP address or a Fully Qualif ied Domain Name (FQDN) for the Pano Manager server.

2. Enter the user name for an account that has administrator permissions.

3. If you want to use a secure connection between the Pano Manager and the Management Appliance, select Use SSL.

4. Click Test Connection to verify that the connection to the Pano Manager server is valid.

5. Enter a comment, if necessary and click Save.


https://www.unidesk.com/sites/default/files/knowledgebase-attachments/Unidesk Solutions Guide - PanoLogic 5.x And Unidesk 2.X-2.pdf


Users and groups

Jun 28 , 2017

The Unidesk environment can include directory service users and groups, and local users that you create using the Unidesk

Management Console.

Directory service users and groups

The software retrieves information about these users and groups from a remote directory service. To add these users and

groups to the Unidesk directory tree, establish a connection (referred to as a Directory Junction) to a directory server. After

establishing this connection, you can assign desktops to the directory service users and groups, add them to local groups, or

assign Administrative roles to users. If you want to change any of the attributes for these users and groups, you must do

so on the directory server.

Local users and groups

Local users and groups exist in the Unidesk environment only. Use the Unidesk Management Console to create local users

and groups.


Manage users and groups

Jun 28 , 2017

About users and groups

Types of users and groups

The Unidesk environment can include directory service users and groups, and local users that you create using the Unidesk

Management Console.

Directoryserviceusersandgroups

The software retrieves information about these users and groups from a remote directory service. To add

these users and groups to the Unidesk directory tree, establish a connection (referred to as a Directory

Junction) to a directory server. After establishing this connection, you can assign desktops to the directory

service users and groups, add them to local groups, or assign Administrative roles to users.

If you want to change any of the attributes for these users and groups, you must do so on the directory

server.

Localusersandgroups

Local users and groups exist in the Unidesk environment only. Use the Unidesk Management Console tocreate local users and groups.

Manage users and directory junctions

Create users

Directory service users

If you are using a directory service, such as Active Directory or Novell eDirectory, to manage user information, you can

extend the Unidesk directory tree to include user and group information from the remote directory service by creating

directory junctions (connections).

Local users

To deploy desktops, you must associate them with a user that Unidesk recognizes. You can use local users or users that are

associated with directory services.

Best Practice: For easier management of a large number of users, create groups and add the users as members to these

groups.

1. Select Users and select Create User. This opens the Create New User wizard.

2. In the General tab, specify the personal information for the user.

1. Enter the f irst and last name for the user.

2. Enter a title for the user.

3. If the user needs Administrator permissions, select the Administrator check box and enter the user name and

password for the user. These login credentials allow the user to log in to the Unidesk Management Console.

3. In the Contact Information tab, specify the contact information for the user.

4. In the Group Membership tab, select one or more groups to which you want to add the user as a member.


5. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the user settings are correct, enter a comment if required, and click Create

User.If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.

Edit users

You can edit local users to change the information associated with them.

Directory service users

The only change you can make for a directory service user is assigning or removing roles and changing their membership in

local groups. To change all other user attributes, edit them on the remote directory server.

Edit a local user

1. Select one of the following views:

Users > Tree.

Users > Users.

Users > Administrators.

2. Select a user and select Edit Properties in the Action bar. This opens the Edit User wizard.

3. In the General tab, change the user's name or title, if necessary. You can also change the role for the user on this tab, if

you are logged in as a Full Administrator.

4. In the Contact Information tab, change the user's contact information.

5. In the Group Membership tab, change the user's membership in one or more groups.

6. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify the changes are correct, enter a comment if required, and click Update User. If

you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.

Delete users

The way to delete users depends upon whether the user is a directory service user, or a local Unidesk user.

Deleting directory service users

To delete a directory service user, remove them from directory server. You cannot use the Unidesk Management Console to

delete directory service users.

Deleting local Unidesk users

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, select Users and click any tab except for Directory Service.

2. Select one or more users and click Delete in the Action bar. This opens the Delete wizard.

3. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the correct users are selected, optionally, enter a comment, and click

Delete User. If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.

Edit a directory junction

To change the settings for a directory junction:


2. Select Edit Properties in the Action bar.

Result: This action opens the Edit Directory Junction wizard.

3. In the Directory Services Detail tab, change any of the connection details for the directory server.

1. Change the name for the Directory Junction. This name becomes the name of the folder that you see in the Unidesk


directory tree view.

2. Change the IP address for the directory server.

3. Change the number of the port that allows communication with the directory server.

4. If you want to use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) communication, select the SSL checkbox.

5. Click Test Connection to verify that the connection to the directory server is valid. If you chose to use an

SSL connection and certif icate errors occur, the wizard prompts you to confirm whether you want to accept or reject

the certif icate.

4. In the Authentication Details tab, change the credentials for a user who has permissions to search the directory server.

1. Enter the ID or distinguished name for a user who has permissions to search the directory server. This ID is the Bind

distinguished name (DN). To determine the correct syntax for the Bind DN, see the documentation for your directory

service.

2. Enter the password for Bind DN.

3. Click Test Authentication to verify that you entered the correct values.

5. In the Attribute Mapping tab, enter the names of directory service attributes that you want to map to local attributes.

6. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify the Directory Junction settings are correct, enter a comment if required, and click

Update Directory Junction.


Delete a directory junction

Deleting a Directory Junction deletes all of the cached information in the local database that the software retrieved from

the remote directory service.

Conditions for deletion

You can delete a Directory Junction if :

The Directory Junction does not contain any directory service objects that are imported into the Unidesk directory tree.

No desktops are assigned to any of the directory service users.

The Directory Junction overlaps another Directory Junction (that is, the same users exist in multiple Directory Junctions). In

this case, you can delete the Directory Junction even if the users are imported or have assigned desktops as long as they

still exist in another Directory Junction.

When you delete an overlapping Directory Junction, you continue to see the imported users if they exist in other

Directory Junctions.

Delete a directory junction

1. Delete all directory service objects that are members of the Unidesk directory tree. Deleting these objects from the

Unidesk directory tree does not affect the objects in the directory service tree.

Use the following icons to identify these objects:

Icon Object

A directory service user whose information is cached in the Unidesk environment.

A folder that contains directory service groups or users whose information is cached in the Unidesk

environment.


A group from a directory service whose information is cached in the Unidesk environment. For example, users in

the group have desktops assigned to them.


3. Select a Directory Junction and select Delete in the Action bar.

Result: This action opens the Delete wizard.

4. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the correct directory junction is selected, and click Delete Directory

Junction.

Manage Groups

Create groups

You can create local groups and add both local and directory service users to these groups. This is useful if you have a large

number of users that you need to manage.

1. Select the Tree or Users view in the Users module and select Create Group in the Action bar. This opens the Create

Group wizard.

2. In the General tab, enter a name and description for the group.

3. In the Group Membership tab, select one or more groups to which you want to add the group as a member.

4. In the Add Members tab, select one or more users from the list to add them as members of the group. You can select

local and directory service users.

Directory service users: For information about a directory service user, place the cursor on the user to display the user's

Distinguished Name and any available information, including: login ID, email address, and telephone number.

5. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the group settings are correct, and click Create Group.

Add members to groups

Use groups to help you manage large numbers of local users or groups. A user or group can be a member of multiple groups.

You can do the following tasks:

Add local or directory service users to groups.

Add groups to other groups.

Add users to groups

1. Select Users > Tree and expand the GroupsFolder in the directory tree view.

2. Select a group and select Add Members in the Action bar. The Add Members wizard opens.

3. In the Add Member tab, navigate to the groups or users that you want to add as members and select the check box

next to them. You can add local and directory service users to the group.




4. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the correct users and groups are selected, enter a comment if required, and

click Add Member. If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.

Edit groups

To change a group's properties or the members in the group:

1. Select Users > Tree.

2. Select a group and select Edit Properties in the Action bar.

Result: This action opens the Edit Group wizard.

3. In the Group Details tab, change the group name and description.

4. In the Membership tab, change the group's membership in other groups.

5. In the Add Members tab, add or remove local or directory service users from the group.



6. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify the group changes are correct, and click Update Group.

Manage group membership

The Users module in the Unidesk Management Console provides multiple methods for managing membership in groups.

Add group memberships to users

1. Select Usersand select a user in the User view.

2. Select Edit.

Result: This action opens the Edit User wizard.

3. In the Membership tab, select one or more groups.

4. In the Summary tab, click Edit User.

Add group membership to groups

1. Select Usersand select a group in the Group view.

2. Select Edit.

Result: This action opens the Edit Group wizard.

3. In the Membership tab, select one or more groups.

4. In the Summary tab, click Edit Group.

Delete groups

To delete a local group:


2. Select one or more groups and select Delete in the Action bar. This opens the Delete wizard.

3. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the correct groups are selected, and click Delete Group.

The software deletes the selected groups immediately without prompting for confirmation.Verify that you selected the


correct groups before clicking Delete Group.

Use folders to organize groups and users

Create folders

You can create folders for organizing Unidesk users and groups.

To create a folder:


2. Click Create Folder in the Actions tab.

3. In the Folder Details tab, type the folder name and a description for it, as needed.

4. In the Folder Location tab, select the folder where you want to create it.

5. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the information is correct and click Create Folder.

Edit folders

You can change the name of a folder or its description.

Note: If you need to change the location of a folder, delete it and create a new one in the appropriate location.

To edit a folder:


2. Select a folder and click Edit Properties in the Actions tab.

3. In the Folder Details tab, change the name or description, as needed.

4. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the changes are correct and click Update Folder.

Delete folders

You can delete a folder you've created for users and groups.

Note: The Delete action is only active if the folder is empty. Delete all subfolders and directory junctions before you try to

delete a folder.

To delete a folder:

1. Select Users > Tree

2. Select the folder you want to delete and click Delete in the Action bar. This opens the Delete Folder wizard.

3. In the Confirm and Delete tab, verify that the correct folder is selected, enter a comment if required, and click Delete

Folder. If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.


Administrator password and administrator roles

Jun 28 , 2017

Use these steps to change the password for the original Administrator account created for the Unidesk Management

Console.

1. Log into the Unidesk Management Console.

2. Select User > Administrators.

3. In the list of Administrators select Administrator and click Edit Properties.

4. Enter the new password and type it again in the Conf irm Password f ield.

5. On the Confirm and Complete tab, click Update User.

Assigning a role to a user in the Unidesk Management Console allows you to control which Unidesk objects an administrator

can manage.

User roles

The user roles include:

None - These users can use desktops assigned to them; they cannot log in to the Unidesk Management Console.

Desktop Administrator - These users can log in to the Unidesk Management Console and have limited access to Unidesk

objects.

Administrator - These users can log in to the Unidesk Management Console and can manage all of the Unidesk objects.

If an administrator does not have access to specific modules in the Unidesk Management Console, these modules still

appear in the user interface but the user cannot select any of the actions in these modules.

Permissions for each user role

Roles Module Access

Desktops Layers Users System

None No No No No

Desktop Administrator Yes Yes No Installation Machine module only.

Administrator Yes Yes Yes Yes

Manage Administrator roles

Assign Administrator roles to users

You can change a user's role if you are logged in as an administrator who has greater permissions than the user's role that

you want to change. If you are logged in as an Administrator, you cannot change the role for the logged-in user.

About assigning roles


The roles that you assign to users control whether they can log in to the Unidesk Management Console and manage some

or all of the components in the Unidesk environment.

You can assign roles to users in the following ways:

Create local users.

Edit existing users (local or directory service users).

Assign user roles

1. Select Users > Users.

2. Do either of the following:

1. To create a new user, select Create User. This opens the Create User wizard.

2. To modify an existing user, select a user and select Edit Properties. This opens the Edit wizard.

3. Select one of the following roles from the list:

None — These users can use desktops assigned to them. They have no management permissions and cannot log in

to the Unidesk Management Console.

Desktop Administrator — These users have limited access to management tasks in the Unidesk Management

Console.

Administrator — These users have full access to all management tasks in the Unidesk Management Console.

4. If you selected any role other than None AND the user is a local user, enter a user name and password. User names are

case insensitive; passwords are case sensitive.

If the user is a directory service user, you cannot specify a user name and password. When you assign roles to directory

service users, they use their login credentials from the directory service to log in to the Unidesk Management Console.

5. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the correct users are selected, optionally, enter a comment, and click Create

User. If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.

Change Administrator user names and passwords

You can change user names and passwords for local users with Administrative privileges.

To change user names and passwords for directory service users, modify these attributes on the directory server. You

cannot use the Unidesk Management Console to change these attributes.

To change Administrator user names and passwords for local users:

1. Select Users > Users.

2. Locate the local user whose login credentials you want to change

Best Practice: Create a group for users who have a similar function or belong to the same organization. You can search

for the group and then expand it to locate a specific user in that group. If you have a large amount of users, using this

type of search can be faster than searching for an individual user.

3. Select the user name and click Edit Properties in the Action bar. This opens the Edit User wizard.

4. In the General tab, change the user name or password,

5. In the Complete and Confirm tab, verify the changes are correct, and click Update User.

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/manage_users/admin_users_manage


Search for users assigned to desktops

Jun 28 , 2017

The user assignment search feature is available in the Create Desktops and the Edit Desktop wizards.

Using the Search box

1. To use the search feature, enter a full or partial name in the Search box in either of the following locations:

1. The User Assignment tab in the Create Desktop wizard.

2. The User Reassignment tab in the Edit Desktop wizard.

2. Click to start the search. The tree view displays the objects that match your search criteria. You may need to expand an

item in the search results to find or select the user, group, or folder that you want.

3. To clear the search result and redisplay the default display that you can browse, click next to the Search box to clear it.

Search criteria

The user assignment search feature allows you to search for the name of a user, group, or folder.

You can enter a full or partial name for local objects that you created using the Unidesk Management Console or directory

service objects that are members of a Directory Junction.

Search filter

You can use the search filter to display only specific types of objects in the search results. Using a filter is useful if you have

a large number of users, groups or folders to search. To use the search filter:

1. Enter the search criteria in the main Search box.

2. Click next to the Search box.

3. In the displayed list, select the object type: user, group, or folder.

All items are selected by default.

4. Click to start the search. The wizard displays the objects that match your search criteria AND the selected f ilter.

5. To close the f ilter menu, click next to the Search box.

Search rules

When you search for items, the search results match any of the search criteria that you enter in the Search box. The

following table provides information about the search criteria for user assignment searches.

Rule Example

All searches are case-insensitive,

including words or phrases enclosed in

double quotes (" ").

Searching for Roberts or roberts displays all items that contain either word.

Searching for words or phrasesSearching for "Marketing Europe" displays items that include the words


enclosed in double quotes results in an

exact match.

Marketing Europe but not Marketing-Europe.

AND is implied in all searches except

for those enclosed in double quotes.

Searching for Accounting Department, the search looks for words or phrases

that include Accounting AND Department. Therefore, the search results could

include both of the following groups:

Accounting Department Chicago

Accounting Department London

The search results would not include an item named Accounting Management

because its name does not include "Department."

Search uses an implied wildcard at the

beginning and end of the words you

enter in the Search box.

Searching for Smith displays all items that include Smith in their names. For

example, the search result could display entries for Robert Smith, John Smith,

and Mary Smith.



Jun 28 , 2017

Unidesk checks Appliance Status each hour, and updates the Status column on the System > Manage Appliances page.

Every three hours Unidesk also checks to see if any appliance's health has changed, and if so, sends an email to

administrators.

Unidesk appliances run a service to evaluate their own health and report health status. The results indicate whether an

appliance might be in need of attention.

Check appliance status

To see the status of your appliances:

1. Select System > Manage Appliances. The Status column lists the status of each virtual appliance.

2. If the Status is Needs Attention, you can learn more about why the appliance has been f lagged by clicking the next to

the appliance name. Click Needs Attention status for more about what can cause this status.

Appliance status conditions

Here are the possible appliance conditions:

Status Description

Not

provisioned

A virtual appliance does not exist yet, and there may be a configuration issue.

This status can occur for the following reasons:

The f irst time you log in to the Unidesk Management Console, the initial provisioning tasks for the

Master CachePoint Appliance are still in progress.

The task that creates the virtual appliance fails. In that situation, you need to edit the CachePoint

Appliance to f inish provisioning it.

Never

started

A virtual appliance exists but provisioning is not complete and the virtual appliance is not running. This

status indicates that the final provisioning steps are not complete or an operational issue may exist.

This condition can occur during provisioning while the CachePoint Appliance is formatting its cache and

preparing to start for the first time.

Started, no

health

status

The CachePoint Appliance was running for less than three hours, which is not enough time to collect and

report meaningful performance information.

Running Performance for this Appliance is within acceptable operational limits.

Any of the following appliance health factors indicate that the appliance may need attention:

High swap memory usage - If an appliance is using more than 50% of its swap memory, the appliance is

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.10.2_for_vSphere/administer/monitor_unidesk_health/admin_appliance_monitor#appliance_status_needs_attention


Needs

attention

flagged as Needs attention. For help with this issue, contact Unidesk Support.

Low disk space - If an appliance has less than 5% of its disk space free, its Status is listed as Needsattention. For help with this issue, contact Unidesk Support.

Connectivity failure - Unidesk evaluates connectivity between the Management Appliance and your

CachePoints every five minutes, and if there is a failure, changes the Status to Needs attention.

If one CachePoint is having a connectivity issue, reboot the appliance. If all of your CachePoints are

having connectivity issues, reboot the Management Appliance. If the problem persists, contact Unidesk

Support.

Powered

Off

The CachePoint Appliance is powered off or nonfunctional. No other Unidesk components can

communicate with it.


Get notified of CachePoint service issues

Jun 28 , 2017

You can receive email messages regarding issues with a CachePoint Appliance. To receive these messages, configure the

Management Appliance to send email messages to the designated addresses whenever there is an issue with a CachePoint

service.

If you configure email notifications in the Unidesk Management Console, the Management Appliance sends email

notifications to the designated addresses when an internal service failure on a CachePoint Appliance causes desktops to

become unusable. When these types of failures occur, the affected CachePoint Appliance initiates a restart of the

affected service. If the service continues to fail, the CachePoint Appliance initiates a complete restart of the virtual

appliance. In most cases, you do not need to take additional actions to correct this problem. Usually, restarting the service

or the affected CachePoint Appliance is sufficient.

The CachePoint Appliance tries to restart the service three times during a 60-minute time frame. If the service continues to

fail, the CachePoint Appliance tries to restart itself. If the restarts do not resolve the issue, you receive an email notification

indicating that an issue still exists.

Messages sent

The CachePoint Appliance sends the following types of email notifications for service failures:

Internal CachePoint Appliance failure — When an internal service failure on one or more CachePoint Appliances occurs,

an email notif ication alerts you to the problem and informs you that a restart of the service or CachePoint Appliance is

going to occur.

Restart completion — After the restart completes, an email notif ication informs you that the restart of the affected

service or CachePoint Appliance completed successfully.

Restart failed — If the service or CachePoint Appliance restarts do not resolve the issue, an email notif ication alerts you

that the issue still exists and human intervention is required to resolve it.

Actions to take

After being notif ied about a restart, monitor the CachePoint Appliances in the Unidesk Management Console and the

virtual infrastructure to verify that the CachePoint Appliances are operational before trying to access the affected

desktops.

If you encounter any problems with one or more desktops after the restart completes, use the Desktops > Restore

action in the Unidesk Management Console to return the desktop to a previous, operational state.

If you want to change the number of times the Management Appliance tries to restart the CachePoint Appliances,

contact Technical Support.

If the service or CachePoint Appliances restarts fail to resolve the issue, contact Technical Support for assistance.


Monitor tasks

Jun 28 , 2017

Use the Task bar to monitor active and completed tasks in the Unidesk environment.

Task bar refresh

The status information in the Task bar updates every 10 seconds, automatically. To update the Task bar status manually,

click

Task bar actions

The Task bar allows you to take the following actions:

View the status of completed tasks and tasks requiring user action.

View a list of all active and complete tasks.

View subtasks in a task.

Hide tasks.

Cancel subtasks.

Example

AJ Wright, the Tier 2 Desktop Administrator at Mythical Healthcare Corporation starts the process of creating a new

Application Layer. While this action is in progress, he watches the messages in the Task bar. When the Unidesk Management

Console displays an Action Required message, he knows he can log on to the Installation Machine and install the software

for the Application Layer.

After he finishes this task, he clicks the message in the quick view of the Task bar, which removes the message from the

display. AJ continues to monitor the Task bar so he knows when the Application Layer is deployable.

Status indicators

The Task bar uses the following status indicators.

A task is active or completed successfully; no user action is required.

User action or attention is required.

A task failed or a user canceled a task.

View tasks and subtasks

The following table describes the different ways you use the Task bar to view tasks and subtasks.

To do this: Use this:

Task status bar.

The software displays tasks when they complete or when user action is required in the


View the status of

completed tasks or tasks

requiring user action.

status area at the top of the Task bar.

If more than one message is available, use the arrow keys on the right side of the task

bar to scroll through the messages.

Click a message to clear the display. This action removes all messages in the Task

status bar.

View a list of all tasks,

completed and active.

Main task view.

The software displays all tasks in the Main task view.

Expand the Task bar to view a list of tasks.

Use the f ilters to refine the display results.

To view additional details about the subtasks in a task, click .

View a list of subtasks for aspecif ic task.

Subtask view.

Click next to a task in the Main task view to open the Subtask view.

Each entry (or row) in the Information view represents a subtask for the selected task.

Hide active tasks

You can hide tasks for the current session, for example if a large number of tasks are

active, or if there is one that will take a long time. Once you log out and log back in, the

Task bar displays all tasks again.

To hide a task, select Hide next to the task.

To display all hidden tasks, select View Hidden Tasks at the top of the Tasks bar. To

hide these tasks again, clear View Hidden Tasks.

To change a task from hidden to displayed, select View Hidden Tasks to display hidden

tasks and clear the Hide checkbox next to the task.

Cancel tasks

Most tasks include one or more subtasks. While a task is active you can cancel one or more of the subtasks that are still in

progress. The main task remains active until all subtasks are completed or canceled.

For example, you might want to cancel a task if a system problem occurs and the task is unlikely to complete successfully.

1. Open the Task bar and view the active tasks.

2. Open the Subtask view for a task (click .)

3. Select a subtask and click .

4. When the subtask stops, the Task bar changes the status of the subtask to Canceled by user.


Open ports in your firewall for Unidesk

Jun 28 , 2017

When setting up the Unidesk environment, you need to open the following ports in your firewall for internal connections,

including those between:

The Unidesk Admin User and the management consoles you'll use.

Each virtual appliance and the various appliances and services with which it needs to communicate.

Admin User

Open the following ports in your firewall for the Unidesk Admin User to use when connecting to the Unidesk and VMware

Studio Management consoles.

Destination Activity Protocol Ports

Any Unidesk Appliance (2.6 or later) VMware Studio Console TCP 5480

Management Appliance Unidesk Management Console TCP 80,443

vSphere server and ESX hosts Upgrades TCP 443


Internal connections

Open the following ports in your firewall for internal connections between the Unidesk Management Appliance and each

of the destinations listed below.


CachePoint Appliance ActiveMQ Service TCP 61616

CachePoint Appliance NFSTCP,UDP

111, 2049, 892,662

NFS TCP 32803

NFS UDP 32769

Management Appliance ActiveMQ Console TCP 8161

AD-DC/LDAP LDAP TCP 389, 636


vCenter, ESX HostVIC, Backups,

Unidesk 2.6 Upgrade

TCP 80, 443, 53*

VMware View, XenDesktop ConnectionServer

Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection BrokerAgent

TCP 390**

Pano Manager Pano Logic Integration TCP 80, 443

Mail Server Notif ications TCP 25**

* If you use a DNS alias in the vCenter field (in the Set Up Infrastructure settings) and DNS is not reachable internally by

default, you must open port 53 between the MA and your DNS servers, and between the CachePoints and your DNS

servers.

** Configurable

External connection

By default, Unidesk uses the following port in your firewall for external connections between the Unidesk appliance and the

destination listed below.


api.unidesk.com Logs and Phone Home data uploads from the Unidesk ELM (optional) TCP 443


Open the following ports in your firewall for internal connections between each CachePoint and the destinations listed

below.


Management Appliance ActiveMQ Service TCP 61616

Management Appliance NFS TCP, UDP 111, 2049, 892, 662

NFS TCP 32803

NFS UDP 32769


ActiveMQ Console TCP 8161

Log Delivery TCP 8888


CachePoint Appliance Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker Agent TCP 390

vCenter, ESX hostVIC, Backups,

Unidesk 2.6 UpgradeTCP 80, 443, 53*

* If you use a DNS alias in the vCenter field (in the Set Up Infrastructure settings) and DNS is not reachable internally by

default, you must open port 53 between the MA and your DNS servers, and between the CachePoints and your DNS

servers.

Gold Image virtual machine

Open the following port in your firewall for internal connections between the Unidesk Gold Image virtual machine and the

Unidesk Management Appliance.


Management Appliance Unidesk Tools TCP 80

Desktop

Open the following port in your firewall for internal connections between each Unidesk Desktop and the destination

Management Appliance and CachePoint Appliances.


CachePoint Appliance,

Management Applianceuniservice TCP 61616


Logging

Jun 28 , 2017

You can configure the number of days to keep log files and audit logs for appliances.

Configure Log file retention

To change the settings for the virtual appliance log files:


2. In the Logging Settings box, click Edit.

3. Enter the number of days to retain logs on the system.

4. Optionally, enter a comment that describes the changes you made. If you enter comments, they appear in the


5. Click Save to save the new changes or click Cancel to exit Edit mode without saving any changes.

Configure Audit Log retention

You can set the length of time that the system keeps an Audit log. After that time elapses, the software begins to

overwrite the audit log.


2. In the Auditing Settings box, click Edit.

3. To change the configuration so that comments are required, select the Comments Required check box. If the check box

is cleared, comments in the wizards are optional.

4. Enter the number of days to retain audit logs on the system.

5. Optionally, enter a comment that describes the changes you made. If you enter comments, they appear in the


6. Click Save to save the new changes or click Cancel to exit Edit mode without saving any changes.



Jun 28 , 2017

To make new VMware hosts and datastores available to the Unidesk environment, you must enable them in the

Management Appliance configuration. Once you enable the hosts and dastatores this way, you can change the

configurations of your CachePoint Appliances so they can use the new hosts or datastores.

Add new hosts and datastores to the Management Appliance configuration

1. Log in to the Unidesk Management Console.

2. Select System and select the Management Appliance.

3. Select Edit Properties.

4. In the Hosts and Storage tab, select the new hosts that you want to use.

5. Expand each host that you selected in the previous step and select the new datastores,


Change CachePoint Appliance configurations to use new hosts and datastores

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, select System.

2. Select a CachePoint Appliance and select Edit Properties.

3. In the Hosts and Storage tab, select the new hosts that you want to use.

4. Expand each host that you selected in the previous step and select the new datastores.




Jun 28 , 2017

You can move the Unidesk appliances and Desktops to a new datastore using these steps.

Note: Moving Unidesk CachePoint (CP) from one datastore to another using standard VMware tools is problematic

because the layers created by the CP are non-persistent, independent disks. If these are moved with a storage vMotion

they will be transformed into normal disks attached to the CP and, consequently, all the desktops using the CP will have the

wrong path to the layer files. In addition, these disks will also be converted from Thin to Thick during the move. Instead of

using standard VMware tools, Unidesk recommends using the Unidesk Move Appliance utility as described in the following

procedure.

1. Management Appliance - Migrate the Management Appliance using the vSphere Migrate function (also called Storage

vMotion).

2. Master CachePoint Appliance - Use the Unidesk Appliance Move utility to move the Master CachePoint Appliance to a

new datastore:

Unidesk Appliance Move utility

CAUTION: If you attempt to use Storage vMotion to move a CachePoint, the VM directory that contains all of the

Layers (called UndieskLayers) will be left behind. The UndieskLayers folder must be in the same directory as the


3. Secondary CachePoint Appliances and Desktops - Use the Unidesk Appliance Move utility to move a Secondary

CachePoint Appliance and its Desktops to the new datastore.

CAUTION: Desktops cannot be moved using Storage vMotion because Desktops have connections to independent disks

that will not migrate correctly. If you attempt to use Storage vMotion to move a Desktop, VMware will clone all the

Layer disks from the CachePoint to the new Desktop location, breaking the links to the Unidesk Layers.

https://www.unidesk.com/forum/feature-requests/move-mcp-utility



Jun 28 , 2017

You can generate and export several reports to help you manage and troubleshoot issues in the Unidesk environment.

Summary of Unidesk reports

Report Contains information about...

Applications The Application Layers that are assigned to users.

CachePoint Status The last reported status for one or more CachePoint Appliances.

Current Desktop Activity The last time desktops restarted.

Desktop Specif ications Configuration information for one or more desktops.

Operating Systems The Operating System Layers that are assigned to users.

Priority Override The layer priority overrides assigned to Application Layers.

Storage Savings Your typical desktop storage needs and your storage needs using Unidesk.

Create and export reports

Create a report

Before you start

The Unidesk Management Console displays the reports in a separate browser window. If you are using a popup blocker,

configure the Web browser to allow popups for the Unidesk Management Console

Generate the report.

1. Select System > Manage Appliances > View Reports from the Action bar.

Result: This action opens the Reporting Selection page in a new browser window.

2. In the left pane, select the report that you want to generate.

3. In the right pane, optionally select f ilters to refine the report contents. To use all f ilters, select Select All.

4. Click Generate Report to display the selected report.

Export reports

After you generate a report, you can export it to a Comma Separated Values (CSV) file or you can print it.

In the top of the report display window:


Click to export the report to a f ile.

Click to send the report to a printer.

Unidesk report details

Applications report

Use this report to determine which Application Layer versions are assigned to users. This report is useful when you are

planning upgrades or when resolving end-user issues.

Report filter use

Use the report filters to refine the contents of the report. Selecting filters is optional. If you do not select a filter, the report

contains details about the Application Layer assignments for all users.

Creating the report

1. Select System > View Reports.

2. In the left pane, select Applications.

3. In the right pane, select some or all of the following report f ilters:

1. Select Select All to use all of the report f ilters.

2. In the Applications box, select one or more Application Layers.

3. To select a specif ic layer version, expand an Application Layer name and select one or more versions. If you do not

select a version, the report includes details for all of the versions.

4. To display only the desktops that have new configurations that are not yet deployed, select Include Desktops with

Outdated Configurations Only. These desktops require a restart to receive the new configurations.

5. To clear f ilter selections, place the cursor on a f ilter box or check box and click .

4. Click Generate Report.

Information in this report

The following table describes the information that this report provides:

Detail Description

Application Layer The name of the Application Layer.

Version The version of the Application Layer.

User The names of the desktop owners that have this layer assigned to them.

Desktop The name of the desktop associated with the user.

CachePoint Disk Usage report

Use this report to view details about:

The disk space that each desktop is using for its User Layer.

The disk space that each copy of a layer uses on specif ic CachePoint Appliances.


Report filter use


contains details about the Application Layer assignments for all users.

Creating the report


2. In the left pane, select Applications.

3. In the right pane, do the following to select report f ilters:

1. In the Applications box, select one or more Application Layers.

2. To select a specif ic layer version, expand an Application Layer name and select one or more versions. If you do not

select a version, the report includes details for all of the versions.


Outdated BOMs Only. These desktops require a restart to receive the new configurations.



The following table describes the information that this report provides:

Detail Description

Application Layer The name of the Application Layer.

Version The version of the Application Layer.

User The names of the desktop owners that have this layer assigned to them.


CachePoint Status report

Use this report to obtain details about the configuration, state, and resource usage for one or more CachePoint Appliances.

This report is useful for planning upgrades for software and storage.

Report filter use


contains details about all of the CachePoint Appliances in the Unidesk environment.

Creating the report

1. Select System > Manage Appliances > View Reports.

2. In the left pane, select CachePoint Status.

3. In the right pane, select some or all of the report f ilters:


2. In the CachePoint box, select one or more CachePoint Appliances.





The following table describes the information that this report provides.

Detail Description

CachePoint The name of a CachePoint Appliance

Software Version The version of the software installed on a specific CachePoint Appliance.

Rollup StatusThe status of a specif ic CachePoint Appliance the last time it reported its status to theManagement Appliance.

Host The path in the virtual infrastructure for the CachePoint Appliance.

Boot ImageStorage

The datastore that the CachePoint uses for boot images.

Layers Storage The datastore that the CachePoint uses for layer storage.

Archive Storage The datastore that the CachePoint uses for desktop archives.

Current desktops activity report

Use this report to retrieve details about whether desktops restarted during a specific period of time. This report is useful in

determining whether desktops restarted after you changed their configurations.

Report filter use


contains details about all desktops in the specified time frame.

Creating the report


2. In the left pane, select Current desktop activity.



2. In the Desktop box, select one or more desktops.

3. In the CachePoint box, select one or more CachePoint® Appliances.

4. In the Last Restart T ime boxes, select a start and end time to define the timeframe to use for the report.

5. To exclude the selected desktops from the report, select Exclude Desktops In Range. The report contains details

about all desktops except the selected ones.






Detail Description

Desktop The name of the desktop.

CachePoint The name of the CachePoint Appliance that is hosting the desktop.

Detailed Running State The current state of the desktop.

Last Restart T ime The date and time when the desktop last restarted .

Desktop Specification report

Use this report to view the following types of information for one or more desktops in the Unidesk environment:

Desktop configuration information.

Statistics for the User Layer.

Report filter use


contains details about the desktops on all of the CachePoint Appliances.

Creating the report


2. In the left pane, select Desktop Specif ication.



2. In the Desktop box, select one or more desktops.

3. In the CachePoint box, select one or more CachePoint Appliances.





Detail Description

Desktop Name The name of the desktop as displayed in the Unidesk Management Console.

UserThe name of the user assigned to the desktop. If the desktop is not assigned to a user, this f ielddisplays the default ID of Install.

Description The description associated with the desktop, if one exists.


Last Restart The most recent date and time when the desktop restarted.

CachePoint The name of the CachePoint Appliance that is hosting the desktop.

Host The name of the host where the layers for the desktop are stored.

OperatingSystem

The operating system that the desktop uses.

OS Layer The name and version of the Operating System Layer assigned to the desktop.

CPU Sockets The number of virtual processor sockets (vCPUs) allocated to the Desktop.

Cores per Socket The number of cores per socket.

Memory (MB) The amount of memory (in megabytes) allocated to the desktop.

Boot Disk (MB) The current size (in megabytes) of the boot disk assigned to the desktop.

User Data (MB)

The current size (in megabytes) of the User Layer.

A value of N/A indicates that Unidesk has not yet gathered this information or a User layer does not

exist for the desktop.

User DataMaximum (MB)

The maximum allowed size (in megabytes) for the User Layer. This value is twice the originallyconfigured size of the User Layer for the desktop.

Archive Size (MB)

The total size (in megabytes) of all of the archive backups for the User Layer.

A value of N/A indicates that Unidesk has not yet gathered this information or no archive backups

exist for the desktop.

Last UpdateThe time indicating when the Management Appliance last received information for the desktop.

Typically, the Management Appliance receives this information at three hour intervals.

Operating Systems report

Use this report to determine which Operating System Layer versions are assigned to users. This report is useful when you

are planning upgrades or when resolving end-user issues.

Report filter use


contains details about the Operating System Layer assignments for all users.


Creating the report


2. In the left pane, select Operating Systems.



2. In the Operating System box, select one or more Operating System Layers.

3. To select a specif ic layer version, expand an Operating System Layer name and select one or more versions. If you do

not select a version, the report includes details for all of the versions.


Outdated Configurations Only. These desktops require a restart to receive the new configurations.





Detail Description

OperatingSystemLayer

The name of the Operating System Layer.

Version The revision of the Operating System Layer currently assigned to the desktop.

ConfiguredVersion

The currently configured revision of the assigned Operating System Layer. If the Configured Version andVersion are different, the desktop receives the configured version the next time that the desktop is rebuiltfor deployment.

Users The names of the desktop owners that have this Operating System Layer assigned to them.


Priority Override report

Use this report to view the all of the priority overrides assigned to the Application Layers. This report is useful when trying

to resolve end-user issues with applications that are not working properly.

Creating the report


2. In the left pane, select Priority Override.

3. In the right pane, click Generate Report.



Detail Description


High Priority Layer The Application Layer that the software applies to desktops before it applies the low priority layer.

Low Priority Layer The Application Layer that the software applies to desktops after it applies the high priority layer.

Storage Savings report

Use this report to view a comparison of the amount of storage your desktops typically use and how using the Unidesk

software reduces your use of storage.

Use the Web browser's print function to print this report, as you cannot export or print it from the Unidesk Management

Console.

Unidesk refreshes its layer size data every three hours, starting from the time that you last restarted the Management

Appliance. Any changes to desktops, Application Layers, and Operating System Layers that took place following the last

refresh are not reflected in the report.

Creating the report

To view this report, select Desktops > Storage Report.



Detail Description

StorageAllocation

This section compares the total amount of storage you would use for the current number of hostedvirtual desktops (HVDs) and the amount you actually use after implementing the Unidesk solution. Thetop of this section shows the total amount of storage that you save by using this solution.

CurrentDesktops

The number of desktops currently deployed.

CachePoints The number of CachePoint Appliances currently deployed.

Storage

Usage

Before

Unidesk

(HVDs)

This section provides a detailed view of the estimated storage required for desktops before you

implement the Unidesk solution. It provides details for the following categories:

Required Storage: This column lists the layers that require storage.

Range (GB): This column shows the range of storage required for all of the currently deployed

desktops.

Average Storage: This column shows the average storage required per desktop (based on the number

of currently deployed desktops).

Total Storage required: This column shows the total storage required for all desktops.

This section provides a detailed view of the storage required for desktops after implementing the

Unidesk solution. It provides details for the following categories:


Storage

Usage With

Unidesk

(HVDs)

Assigned Layers and User Space: This column lists every Operating System Layer, Application Layer, and

User Layer that is currently deployed.

Storage (GB): This column lists the storage used for each layer. User Layers vary in size, therefore the

report shows a range for this item.

Copies stored: This column lists the number of copies that the system stores for each layer. Each

desktop usually has a User layer, therefore the report shows the total number of User layers that the

CachePoint Appliances are storing.

Total storage required: This column lists the total storage required for each layer, based on the

number of copies that exist.



Jun 28 , 2017

You can delete Unidesk Desktops, templates, Layers, Layer Versions, and CachePoint Appliances.

Delete Desktops

When you delete a desktop layer, the software deletes all versions, backups, and resources associated with the desktop

from the CachePoint® Appliance and the Management Appliance. If the desktop is part of a broker pool or group, the

desktop will be deleted from the pool or group. If one or more of the selected desktops is in a running state, the software

shuts down the desktop first and then deletes it.

To delete Desktops

1. Select Desktops and select one or more Desktops.

2. Select Delete from the Action bar. The Delete Desktops wizard opens.

3. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the displayed list of desktops are the ones you want to delete, enter a

comment, if required, and click Delete Desktops. If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit

History.

4. When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the desktop, click OK to continue or click Cancel to return to the

wizard without deleting the desktops.

Delete Desktop templates

You can delete a single version of a template or the entire template.

Before you delete a template

You can delete any template version, as long as it is not being used by a desktop that is deployed.

To delete a template or template version

1. Select Layers >Templates and select one or more templates to delete.

2. Select Delete in the Action bar. This opens the Delete Template wizard.

3. In the Version Selection tab, select the version you want to delete or select the Delete Template check box to delete

the entire template.

4. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the correct version is selected for deletion, enter a comment if required, and

click Delete Versions.If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.

Delete Layers and Layer versions

You can delete Operating System Layers or Layer versions and Application Layers or Layer versions, as long as the Layer or

version is not being used by another Unidesk Layer, Desktop, or Template. Deleting an Operating System Layer removes all

backups, versions, volumes, and resources from the CachePoint Appliance where it is stored.

Before you can delete a Layer or Layer Version


You can delete an entire layer or a layer version if it is:

Not deployed to a desktop.

Not used by a template.

Not the required Operating System Layer (or Layer Version) for any compatible Application Layers.

Not a prerequisite for another Layer that is deployed to a desktop.

If there are more than two versions of a Layer, you can delete the f irst or last version only.

OS and Application layer Compatibility

An Application Layer can only be deployed to Desktops that have a compatible Operating System Layer. And the only

compatible Operating System Layer is the one where the Application Layer was created, or one of this Operating System

Layer's Versions. This compatibility restriction prevents you from inadvertently deploying Application Layers that are

incompatible with a Desktop's Operating System.

Note: Layer compatibility is between Application Layers and Operating System Layers, not Installation Machines. If you

have multiple Installation Machines running the same Operating System Layer, the Application Layers created on those

Installation Machines are all compatible with that Operating System Layer.

Check to see if the Layer is in use

To determine whether a Layer (or Layer version) is deployed to a desktop, in use by a or a template:

1. Click the to open the Information view for the Layer.

2. Find out whether the Layer is used in any templates by checking Template Assignment in the Layer Information section.

3. Find out whether the Layer is deployed to any desktops, by expanding the entry in the Version Information section and

look at Assigned Desktops.

4. Find out whether there are compatible Application Layers that would be left without an operating system.

Delete a Layer or Layer Version

1. In the Unidesk Management Appliance, select Layers.

2. Select one or more Application or Operating System Layers to delete.

3. Select Delete in the Action bar. This opens the Delete Version Layer wizard.

4. In the Version Selection tab, select the Version you want to delete, or select the Delete Layer check box to delete the

entire Layer.

5. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the correct Version (or Layer) is selected for deletion, enter a comment if

needed, and click Delete Versions.If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.

Delete CachePoint Appliances

You can use the Unidesk Management Console to delete a Secondary CachePoint Appliances, but not the Master

CachePoint Appliance. Deleting a CachePoint Appliance removes all of the data (including the user's personalized data) and

the virtual appliance from the virtual infrastructure. Once you delete a CachePoint Appliance, you cannot recover the

personalized data in the User Layer.

Before you delete a CachePoint Appliance

Before you can delete a CachePoint Appliance, you must delete any Desktops on the CachePoint.

To delete a CachePoint Appliance


1. Select System > Manage Appliances.

2. Select a CachePoint Appliance and select Delete in the Action bar. This opens the Delete CachePoint wizard.

3. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify that the correct CachePoint Appliance is selected, enter a comment if required,

and click Delete CachePoint.If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.


Troubleshoot

Jun 28 , 2017

Troubleshoot

Export log f iles

Layers

Error messages

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/troubleshoot.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/troubleshoot/export-log-files.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/troubleshoot/layers.html

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/unidesk/2-10-vsphere/troubleshoot/error-messages.html


Export log files

Jun 28 , 2017

You can export logs for your Unidesk appliances, and send them to the Unidesk Support team via HTTPS or to yourself and

others by email. You can also export logs for an individual Desktop or Installation Machine.

This topic explains what log files are available for export, and which log files are useful for what kinds of issues. It then

explains how to export each of the logs.

About exporting Unidesk logs

Unidesk log files are text files that contain useful information for the Unidesk Support Team when helping you to resolve an

issue. The log files contain details about the operation of each Unidesk virtual machine (VM) and its communication with

other VMs in the Unidesk environment. The exported logs are stripped of any passwords and encryption keys, so none of

your credentials can be compromised.

What virtual machine files are exported?

Each export includes the logs for the selected VM, along with the MA logs. The Database Crash Dump file export is

optional. When you export logs, the Unidesk software creates a gzipped tar file (.tgz) containing the log files for the

selected VM. A task with the URL for each tar file appears in the Task bar.

Virtual Machine Exported f iles

Management Appliance (MA)

The gzipped tar file (.tgz) with:

MA logs

Crash Dump files (optional)



CachePoint logs


MA logs

Desktop


Desktop logs


MA logs

Installation Machine (IM)


IM logs


MA logs and database dump


To view the log files, download them and extract them using a file compression utility such as the WinZip® product.

What logs should I export for which issues?

The MA logs are included in the export for any CachePoint(s), Desktop, or Installation Machine, because no matter what

problem you're having, you'll need them. When you export logs, you can choose to send them to Unidesk Support and/or to

an email recipient.

For issues with... Export logs for the...

One Desktop Desktop

Multiple Desktops CachePoint Appliance(s) for the problem Desktops only

Building a Layer Installation Machine (IM)

Management Applianceor database Management Appliance (MA)

Before you start

Before you can... You must...

Send logs to UnideskSupport

Have an open Support Case. Create a Support Case explaining the issue you're seeing.

Send email noticesSpecify your email server in the System > Settings and Configuration > Notif icationsSettings box.

Export logsMake sure the Log File Retention Settings are configured to keep the logs you need for the

length of time you need.

Export and send CachePoint Appliance and Management Appliance logs

When you have a problem with more than one Desktop, you'll need the logs from the CachePoint(s) that they're on. If you

have several CachePoints, don't export them all, as they are large and only the ones with the problem Desktops will be

helpful. The MA logs that you need will automatically be exported with the CachePoint logs.

When configuring an export, you can choose to send a copy of the logs to Unidesk Support via HTTPS, or to yourself or

others who need access to the logs via email.

1. In the Unidesk Management Console, select System > Manage Appliances and click Export Logs. The Export Logs

Wizard opens to the Send Options tab.

2. If you want to send the logs to Unidesk via HTTPS and you have a Unidesk Support Case open, click Send to UnideskSupport , choose the support case, and type a description in the Contents field.



Note: This option is only available if you have an open Support Case. You can open one and come back to this screen to

select the option.

3. If you want to send the files to yourself or others who need access to the logs, select the Email check box and type the

addresses in the Recipients field. (Use a comma (,) or semi-colon (;) between addresses.)

Note: This field is only active if you've configured an email Notification.

4. In the Log Selection tab, the MA is selected by default. Select only the CachePoint(s) that have problem Desktops, and if

you need to include the Crash Dumpfiles, select the check box to include those.

Shortcut: If you need to select all or most of the appliances in the list, select the first one and press CTRL-A, then

deselect the ones you don't need. However, we recommend selecting only the relevant CachePoints.

5. In the Confirm and Complete tab, click Export Logs to start the export process. The software locates the log files on

each of the selected appliances and exports them to a gzipped archive file (*.tgz) on the appliance.

Export Desktop logs

If you are having an issue with a Desktop, you can export the log files from it. If you are having the same issue with more

than one Desktop, you can save time by exporting the logs for the CachePoint(s) involved instead.

1. Select Desktops and the Desktop whose log files you want to export.

2. Select Restart/Shut Down and the Shut down option. If the Desktop is integrated with a connection broker, also

select the Put in Maintenance Mode check box.

Putting the Desktop in Maintenance Mode ensures that the desktop remains in a shut down state while Unidesk is

exporting the logs. If the connection broker restarts the Desktop, the export task does not complete.

3. Select the desktop and select Edit Desktops in the Action bar. This opens the Edit Desktop wizard.

4. In the Diagnostic Selection tab, select Export Desktop Logs. The options for sending the logs are displayed.



select the option.




7. In the Confirm and Complete tab, click Update Desktop. The software locates the log files from the desktop and

the Management Appliance and exports them to a gzipped archive file (*.tgz).

Export Installation Machine (IM) logs

If you are having issues creating a Layer, export the logs from the IM you're using.

Before you start: You must be using the IM to create a Layer, and the IM must be in a Stopped state.




1. In the System > Installation Machines module, verify that the IM is Stopped (not in a running state).

2. Select the IM and click Edit Properties.

3. In the Diagnostic Selection tab, select Export Desktop Logs. The options for sending the logs are displayed.



select the option.




6. In the Confirm and Complete tab, enter a comment, if necessary, and click Update Installation Machine. The software

locates the log files from the Installation Machine and the Management Appliance and exports them to a gzipped

archive file (*.tgz).



Layers

Jun 28 , 2017

How layering works

When a user opens a file on their Unidesk Desktop, the Unidesk software directs Microsoft Windows to open the file from

the Layer with the highest priority. The User Layer, which contains files created or modified on the Desktop, is always

highest priority, so Windows will be directed to the User Layer as the source for those files. If the file isn't found in the User

Layer, the Unidesk software looks for it in the Application Layers. If Windows finds the file in an more than one Application

Layer or Layer Version, it uses the file in the most recently created Application Layer Version. Finally, if neither the User Layer

nor anApplication Layer has the file, Unidesk uses the version of the file that’s in the Operating System Layer, the Layer with

the lowest priority.

Note: By default, Application Layer priority is determined by the Layer/Version creation date or modification date. There are

ways override the default priority, as explained later in this article. However, in most cases, this prioritization works well.

Imagine a scenario where the user has installed an application on their desktop. Because the application is user-installed, it

is stored in the person's User Layer. The application has an old version of foo.dll. If an IT-delivered application (in

an Application Layer) needs a later version of that same dll (foo.dll), the IT-delivered application will not work correctly on

that user’s Desktop. That's because Windows finds the User Layer version of the file and uses that one instead of the

newer version in the Application Layer. The good news is that you can fix an issue like this, as Unidesk gives you a few ways

to control where a file will be delivered from.

What if one or more applications do not work correctly on a new desktop?

Administrators often create all of the Application Layers and just start deploying new desktops with all of the layers. This

can work fine but if it doesn’t, step back and take an incremental approach to isolate the issue.

Can you create a desktop with just the Operating System Layer and the failing Application Layer? If that doesn’t work

then you have an issue with that particular application. Check the Application Layer Recipes page for details on specif ic

applications. Iif you don’t see your application in the recipes, open a support case.

If you have a clear conflict between 2 layers you have several choices for resolving that conflict. You can:

Combine the conflicting applications in a single Layer, often the simplest solution.

Create one of the Layers using the conflicting Layer as a prerequisite Layer. This is best in case where you need to

deploy and update the applications separately. When you specify a prerequisite layer, the Installation Machine will be

created with both the specif ied OS and the prerequisite Layer installed. You will need to remember to always include

that prerequisite Layer when you update your application.

If you know which file is causing the conflict and which application should deliver that file, use layer priorities to ensure

that the file will always come from the correct layer. For details, use the following steps to Manage Layer priorities:

Manage Application Layer priorities

To manage the order in which the Unidesk software applies applications to a desktop, use the steps below. This lets

you to override the default priorities of the Application Layers or Layer Versions. Unidesk uses the creation date of a

Layer or Version to determine its priority.

You can change the priority for a selected Application Layer or for all Versions of the Layer.

https://www.unidesk.com/forum/application-layer-recipes


Change priorities for a selected Layer Version

1. Select Layers and select an Application Layer.

2. Select Change Layer Priority in the Action bar. This opens the Change Priority wizard.

3. In the Version Selection tab, complete the following steps:

1. Select the version of the currently selected Application Layer that you want to deploy on one or more desktops.

2. Select an Application Layer to compare with the currently selected Layer.

3. Select the version of the Application Layer whose priority could cause a conflict with the currently selected layer

4. In the Priority Order tab, click Switch to change the default priority for the displayed application versions. The

greater-than sign (>) indicates that the current Application Layerhas a higher priority than the selected Application

Layer, and vice versa.

If the software determines that the change results in conflicts with the priority rules for other layers, it displays a

warning message.

If no conflicts exist, go to step 6 in this procedure.

If conflicts exist, select the Conflict Resolution tab and go to the next step.

5. In the Conflict Resolution tab, complete the following steps:

1. Expand each entry in the displayed list to view the conflicts.

2. Click Delete next to one or more entries in the list. This action changes the priority order for the selected item.

3. Click Retry. If no other conflicts exist, go to the next step in this procedure. Otherwise, repeat these steps until

all no conflicts exist.

6. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify the priority settings are correct, enter a comment if required, and click Set

Priority. If you enter comments, they appear in the Information view Audit History.

Change priorities for all layer versions

1. Select Layers and select an Application Layer.

2. Select Change Layer Priority in the Action bar.

Result: This action opens the Change Priority wizard.

3. In the Version Selection tab, complete the following steps:

1. Select Override All Versions.

2. Select the Application Layer whose priority could cause a conflict with the previously selected layer.

4. In the Priority Order tab, select Set Highest Priority for the Application Layer that should have the highest priority.

Result: This action specifies that all of the versions of the selected layer should override the priority of all of the

versions of the other Application Layer.

If the software determines that the change results in conflicts with the priority rules for other layers, it displays a

warning message. For example: Application A has a higher priority than Application B. Application B has a higher

priority than Application C. If you set the priority of Application C to be higher than Application A, the software will

indicate that a conflict exists with the priority setting for Application C.

If no conflicts exist, go to step 6 in this procedure.

If conflicts exist, select the Conflict Resolution tab and go to the next step.


5. In the Conflict Resolution tab, complete the following steps:

1. Expand each entry in the displayed list to view the conflicts.

2. Click Delete next to one or more entries in the list. This action changes the priority order for the selected item.

3. Click Retry. If no other conflicts exist, go to the next step in this procedure. Otherwise, repeat these steps until

all no conflicts exist.

6. In the Confirm and Complete tab, verify the priority settings are correct, enter a comment if required, and

click Change Priority.

What if an application is not working correctly on an existing desktop?

If the application used to work on the desktop and now it isn’t the solution is often a simple reinstall. Editing the desktop

and selecting the reinstall checkbox for the failing application simply removes any files from the user layer that are part of

the application layer.

What if I deploy a new version of an application to a desktop and it does not work correctly?

Try a reinstall of the application; edit the desktop and check the reinstall flag on the application that is not working. If that

works this was due to some change on the user desktop that is incompatible with the new application version. Ask the user

to check that all of their self installed applications are working.

If reinstall did not work, the issue is probably not specific to that user’s desktop. (Keep in mind that you can roll the desktop

back to an earlier version of the application to keep the user productive while you do furt. Try deploying the new version of

the application to a newly created desktop. If it works in the newly created desktop then you know there is some conflict

with another application layer that was deployed on the user’s desktop or possibly with something that the user has

installed themselves.

What if when creating a new layer version the install machine says that Windows needs to be activated?

If this is not impacting your layer update, just ignore it! Microsoft is detecting a change in the activation information of the

OS layer and of the application layer that you are updating. This will not have any impact when the application is deployed

to a desktop because the activation information is in the user layer on the desktop. If you do require activation to

complete your new layer version (possible if you are installing MSFT patches) then go ahead and activate in the install

machine.


Error messages

Jun 28 , 2017

This topic contains information about error messages and status messages that you may encounter when using Unidesk, as

well as solutions for the indicated problems.

Error MessageError Message Solut ionSolut ion

(500) Internal Server ErrorThe remote server returned an error: (500)

Internal Server Error

0x00000135, 0x000000F5, 0x000000F4, 0x000000D1, 0x0000007B,0x00000074, 0x0000006F, 0x00000024, 0x00000018, 0x0000000A

Unidesk and MS Windows Bug Check Codes

(Stop Codes)

0x000000F4 when running chkdsk

0x75640007, 0x75640008Unidesk and MS Windows Bug Check Codes(Stop Codes)

0x80000001

Problems with a gold image used to create a

Windows 7 desktop can cause search

indexing to fail.

0xc0000005

Problems with a gold image used to create a

Windows 7 desktop can cause search

indexing to fail.

Adobe Creative Suite fault:

ARKCmdDefrag.dll,Exception code:

0xc0000005

0xc000000eA Windows 7 desktop fails to start, Status

0xc000000e

0xC000000F

Boot file error 0xC000000F in the OS layer

while trying to install MS updates

Boot failure 0xc000000f on newly imported

OS layer

1231Debugging domain join problems in Windows

7

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/remote-server-returned-error-500-internal-server-error

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/unidesk-stop-codes

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/0x000000f4-when-running-chkdsk

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/unidesk-stop-codes

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/problems-gold-image-used-create-windows-7-desktop-can-cause-search-indexing-fail

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/problems-gold-image-used-create-windows-7-desktop-can-cause-search-indexing-fail

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/adobe-creative-suite-fault-arkcmddefragdllexception-code-0xc0000005

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/windows-7-desktop-fails-start-status-0xc000000e

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/boot-file-error-0xc000000f-os-layer-while-trying-install-ms-updates

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/boot-failure-0xc000000f-newly-imported-os-layer

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/debugging-domain-join-problems-windows-7


1326

Debugging domain join problems in Windows

XP


7

1721, 1722Cannot select Create OS Layer action,cannot select gold image, or installer error1721/1722

1909


XP


7

4003Debugging domain join problems in Windows

7

8007000e, 80070BC9, 80071a91, or 80079c59

Microsoft updates fail: 80071a91, 80070BC9,

80079c59, 8007000e, or prompt for restart

forever

A configuration error exists

Desktop task fails: 'Couldn't find the current

boot disk in the list of disk' or 'A configuration

error exists'

a function was called with an invalid paramater.Desktop boot fails: The CachePoint

Appliance could not create the boot image

A general system error occurred: Unrecognized handle propertyidentif ier

"Error: Could not integrate the desktop with

the specified connection broker at this time.

A Unidesk command failed to execute."

A service on the CachePoint Appliance returned an unexpected error;check the CachePoint log f iles for more details.

Corruption in the User Layer causing desktop

rebuilds to fail

Address already in use

Installation fails: "Invalid URI: A port was

expected because of there is a colon(':')

present but the port could not be parsed"

agent unreachable

Desktop backup fails: "The hypervisor could

not create a new virtual machine. Unable to

locate ServiceHost"

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/debugging-domain-join-problems-windows-xp


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/cannot-select-create-os-layer-action-cannot-select-gold-image-or-installer-error-17211722




https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/microsoft-updates-fail-80071a91-80070bc9-80079c59-8007000e-or-prompt-restart-forever

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktop-task-fails-couldnt-find-current-boot-disk-list-disk-or-configuration-error-exists

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktop-boot-fails-cachepoint-appliance-could-not-create-boot-image

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/error-could-not-integrate-desktop-specified-connection-broker-time-unidesk-command-failed

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/corruption-user-layer-causing-desktop-rebuilds-fail

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/installation-fails-invalid-uri-port-was-expected-because-there-colon-present-port-could-n

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktop-backup-fails-hypervisor-could-not-create-new-virtual-machine-unable-locate-servic


View Client error: "The assigned desktop

source for this desktop is not currently

available."

All available desktop sources for this desktop are currently busy



available."

An unexpected application error occurred.Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection BrokerAgent reports task failures if VMware View isinstalled in a non-default location (UNI-6962)

Another task is already in progress.VMware asks whether "I moved it" or "Icopied it" for a Unidesk desktop VM

appliance is asking for root password to run fsck

Appliance requests file system check (fsck)

when recovering from a host or storage

interruption

application not foundTechnical Note: Fixing hyperlink functions inMicrosoft Outlook (UNI-6262)

Argument cannot be null. Parameter name: source Configure vCenter permissions

Argument is out of range. Parameter name: indexDesktop task fails, "Argument is out of range.

Parameter name: index"

Available (missing)



available."

BICNeededSystem task for tracking the creation of aboot image -- what is this task?

Boot f ile error 0xC000000F in the OS layer while trying to install MSupdates

Boot f ile error 0xC000000F in the OS layerwhile trying to install MS updates

Broken or Unreadable VMDK"Invalid configuration for device '0'" errorswhen reconfiguring a VM

Broker error: One of the specif ied user groups, <group-name>, couldnot be mapped to a valid SID.

"Broker error: One of the specif ied usergroups could not be mapped to a valid SID,"

C80001FEWindows update fails on Office layer: errorC80001FE

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/view-client-error-assigned-desktop-source-desktop-not-currently-available


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/unidesk-virtual-desktop-connection-broker-agent-reports-task-failures-if-vmware-view-inst

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/vmware-asks-whether-i-moved-it-or-i-copied-it-unidesk-desktop-vm

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/appliance-requests-file-system-check-fsck-when-recovering-host-or-storage-interruption

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/technical-note-fixing-hyperlink-functions-microsoft-outlook-uni-6262


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktop-task-fails-argument-out-range-parameter-name-index


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/system-task-tracking-creation-boot-image-what-task


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/invalid-configuration-device-0-errors-when-reconfiguring-vm


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/windows-update-fails-office-layer-error-c80001fe


Cache data unavailableConsole messages on the CachePoint about

benign disk events

CachePoint appliance returned an unexpected errorCorruption in the User Layer causing desktop

rebuilds to fail

Can't add machine: <...>Can't add desktops to Xen catalogs, UniVIA

error about "unmanaged machine"

Cannot access the Directory ServiceFixing Directory Junctions that aren't working

correctly

Cannot open the disk 'UnideskLayers/<...>Cannot power on CachePoint, "Cannot openthe disk 'UnideskLayers/..."

Cannot retry downlevel, specifying OU is not supported


XP


7

Cannot uninstall old agentVMWare View agent upgrade fails. "Cannot

uninstall old agent"

Connection Broker Error: Err_VIACommandFailed_MessageConnection Broker Error:

Err_VIACommandFailed_Message

Connection failure: The expected thumbprint for "virtual-center-host:443" was not provided

Open Console fails with the message:

Connection failure: The expected thumbprint

for "virtual-center-host:443" was not

provided

Connection Refused for the Unidesk task failures

vCenter crashes (Connection Refused for the

Unidesk task failures) when trying to create or

edit many machines

Connection.freeWriteSemaphore(-2): semaphore not owned by anythread

Sync LDAP fails:Connection.freeWriteSemaphore(-2):semaphore not owned by any thread

Connectivity failure Monitor Unidesk virtual appliances

Could not determine if a user was logged on during the last attempt toCould not determine if a user was logged on

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/console-messages-cachepoint-about-benign-disk-events


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/cant-add-desktops-xen-catalogs-univia-error-about-unmanaged-machine

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/fixing-directory-junctions-arent-working-correctly

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/cannot-power-cachepoint-cannot-open-disk-unidesklayers



https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/vmware-view-agent-upgrade-fails-cannot-uninstall-old-agent

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/connection-broker-error-viacommandfailedmessage

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/connection-failure-expected-thumbprint-virtual-center-host443-was-not-provided

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/vcenter-crashes-connection-refused-unidesk-task-failures-when-trying-create-or-edit-many-

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/sync-ldap-fails-connectionfreewritesemaphore-2-semaphore-not-owned-any-thread

https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.9.3_for_vSphere/administer/monitor_unidesk_health/admin_appliance_monitor


rebuild the desktop during the last attempt to rebuild the

desktop

Could not f ind a necessary layer. Failed.Failed to reattach disks to the desktop thatwere temporarily attached to the CachePointAppliance

Could not integrate the desktop with the specif ied connection brokerat this time. A Unidesk command failed to execute.

"Error: Could not integrate the desktop with

the specified connection broker at this time.

A Unidesk command failed to execute."

Could not integrate the desktop with the

specified connection broker at this time. A

Unidesk command failed to execute.

Could not load f ile or assembly 'PowershellServiceCmdlets, Version=<...>

Connection Broker Error:


Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker

Agent reports task failures if VMware View is

installed in a non-default location (UNI-6962)

Couldn't find the current boot disk in the list of disk



error exists'

Drive 'C' on Unit 0 is ambiguous, cannot do the import'.Error: 'Drive 'C' on Unit 0 is ambiguous, cannotdo the import'.

Drive C on unit xxxxxx not found, cannot do the import

Error when importing an O/S layer: The virtual

infrastructure failed to stop a virtual machine.

Error is: internal web service error: Drive C on

unit xxxxxx not found, cannot do the import.

DsGetDCName failedDebugging domain join problems in Windows

7

Encountered an error while attempting to mount a disk

Recovering files directly from the User Layer

disks when a desktop machine cannot boot


rebuilds to fail

Encountered an error while trying to listen for a kcXfer connectionCreating or editing Desktop triggers kcXfer

error

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/could-not-determine-if-user-was-logged-during-last-attempt-rebuild-desktop

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/failed-reattach-disks-desktop-were-temporarily-attached-cachepoint-appliance

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/error-could-not-integrate-desktop-specified-connection-broker-time-unidesk-command-failed

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/could-not-integrate-desktop-specified-connection-broker-time-unidesk-command-failed-execu




https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/error-drive-c-unit-0-ambiguous-cannot-do-import

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/error-when-importing-os-layer-virtual-infrastructure-failed-stop-virtual-machine-error-in


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/recovering-files-directly-user-layer-disks-when-desktop-machine-cannot-boot


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/creating-or-editing-desktop-triggers-kcxfer-error


Encountered an error while trying to register with the ManagementAppliance at address

When importing your Gold, your MA/MCP

must be in the same vCenter as the Gold

Image

Troubleshooting the Unidesk Gold Image

Tools (setup_x86.exe, setup_x64.exe)

Encountered an error with accessing, reading, or using the snapshotinformation f ile. Not Found

Backup fails: Encountered an error with

accessing, reading, or using the snapshot

information file. Not Found

Desktop rebuild failed: "Encountered an error

accessing, reading or using the snapshot

information file."

EnumeratorCancel JobStepInterceptor



interruption

Err_VIACommandFailed_MessageConnection Broker Error:


ERROR 21

Unidesk Virtual Desktop Connection Broker

Agent reports task failures if VMware View is

installed in a non-default location (UNI-6962)

ERROR 28 AddDesktopsToPoolCommandHandler:AddDesktopsToPoolCommandHandler.Handle() - EXCPSystem.Exception: VM <...> is already a member of a pool




Error 1721. There is a problem with this Windows Installer package. Aprogram required for this install to complete could not be run. Contactyour support personnel or package vendor. Action MakeImportable,location C:\...\importwsclient.exe

Cannot select Create OS Layer action,

cannot select gold image, or installer error

1721/1722

Error 1722. There is a problem with this Windows Installer package. Aprogram run as part of the setup did not f inish as expected. Contactyour support personnel or package vendor. Action MakeImportable,location C:\...\importwsclient.exe <IP address of managementappliance>

Cannot select Create OS Layer action,

cannot select gold image, or installer error

1721/1722

Error code: 4Troubleshooting the Unidesk Gold ImageTools (setup_x86.exe, setup_x64.exe)

Generating the Storage Report fails if

multiple desktop deployment tasks are in

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/when-importing-your-gold-your-mamcp-must-be-same-vcenter-gold-image

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/troubleshooting-unidesk-gold-image-tools-setupx86exe-setupx64exe

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/backup-fails-encountered-error-accessing-reading-or-using-snapshot-information-file-not-f

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktop-rebuild-failed-error-accessing-reading-or-using-snapshot-information








https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/generating-storage-report-fails-if-multiple-desktop-deployment-tasks-are-progress-uni-46-0


Error Generating Report progress (UNI-4675)

Error received from VMWare while waiting for requested data.Repair Desktop fails, "FaultType: FileFault"

and "Message: Error caused by file ..."

Exception Message: The username or password is incorrect.

Hyper-V: Unidesk Installer failed with

'Exception Message: The username or

password is incorrect."

Failed to add disk <...>

Failed to reattach disks to the desktop that

were temporarily attached to the CachePoint

Appliance

Error when creating a new desktop or Repair

to a different CachePoint -- Failed to create

a desktop, CannotCreateFile, Cannot

complete file creation operation

Failed to add disk ... Reason: Hot-add of

digest enabled disk not supported

Failed to complete a desktop restore. The hypervisor could not clone avirtual machine.

Repair Desktop fails, "FaultType: FileFault"


Failed to complete a desktop restore. The hypervisor could not create anew virtual machine.

Desktop backup fails: "The hypervisor couldnot create a new virtual machine. Unable tolocate ServiceHost"

Failed to connect to the connection brokerConnection Broker pools/groups not listed in

UMC

Failed to copy a file.

Desktop Backup error: Invalid virtual machine

state. Unexpected snapshots found


rebuilds to fail

Backup fails: Failed to copy a file,

NetworkCopyFault

Failed to copy a version. Error is: Encountered an error while trying tolisten for a kcXfer connection

Creating or editing Desktop triggers kcXfer

error

Failed to create a desktop, CannotCreateFile, Cannot complete f ileError when creating a new desktop or Repairto a different CachePoint -- Failed to create

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/repair-desktop-fails-faulttype-filefault-and-message-error-caused-file

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/hyper-v-unidesk-installer-failed-exception-message-username-or-password-incorrect


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/error-when-creating-new-desktop-or-repair-different-cachepoint-failed-create-desktop-cann

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/failed-add-disk-reason-hot-add-digest-enabled-disk-not-supported



https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/connection-broker-poolsgroups-not-listed-umc

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktop-backup-error-invalid-virtual-machine-state-unexpected-snapshots-found


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/backup-fails-failed-copy-file-networkcopyfault

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/creating-or-editing-desktop-triggers-kcxfer-error



creation operation a desktop, CannotCreateFile, Cannotcomplete f ile creation operation

Failed to detach disks from the desktop and reattach to theCachePoint Appliance

Failed to reattach disks to the desktop thatwere temporarily attached to the CachePointAppliance

Failed to get hardware information from the virtual machineError: Failed to get hardware information

from the virtual machine

Failed to mount a remote machine locally

Error: The CachePoint Appliance could not

create the boot image. Error is: Failed to

mount a remote virtual machine locally

Operating System Layer import fails: “Failed

to mount a remote machine locally”

Failed to lock the f ileFailed to reattach disks to the desktop thatwere temporarily attached to the CachePointAppliance

Failed to reattach disksBackup failure: "Failed to reattach disks", "The

host can access datastores"

Failed to reattach disks to the desktop that were temporarily attachedto the CachePoint Appliance



Appliance

Failed to synchronize owners of desktops in pool

Failed to synchronize owners of desktops in

pool PoolName. Error is: Unable to find user:

'CN=...' in domain: 'domainname'

Failed to synchronize with directory service changes: exception string'Connection.freeWriteSemaphore(-2): semaphore not owned by anythread'.

Sync LDAP fails:Connection.freeWriteSemaphore(-2):semaphore not owned by any thread

FaultType: CannotCreateFile Message: Cannot complete f ile creationoperation.

Error when creating a new desktop or Repair

to a different CachePoint -- Failed to create

a desktop, CannotCreateFile, Cannot

complete file creation operation

FaultType: FileFault Message: Error caused by f ile <...>Repair Desktop fails, "FaultType: FileFault"


FaultType: FileLocked Message: Unable to access file <...> since it is Desktop Backup error: Invalid virtual machine


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/error-failed-get-hardware-information-virtual-machine

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/error-cachepoint-appliance-could-not-create-boot-image-error-failed-mount-remote-virtual-

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/operating-system-layer-import-fails-%E2%80%9Cfailed-mount-remote-machine-locally%E2%80%9D


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/backup-failure-failed-reattach-disks-host-can-access-datastores


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/failed-synchronize-owners-desktops-pool-poolname-error-unable-find-user-cn-domain-domainn

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/sync-ldap-fails-connectionfreewritesemaphore-2-semaphore-not-owned-any-thread





locked state. Unexpected snapshots found

FaultType: GenericVmConfigFault Message: Too Many users.Failed to reattach disks to the desktop thatwere temporarily attached to the CachePointAppliance

FaultType: InvalidHostState Message: The operation is not allowed inthe current connection state of the host.

Desktop backup fails: "The hypervisor couldnot create a new virtual machine. Unable tolocate ServiceHost"

FaultType: NetworkCopyFault Message: Could not complete networkcopy for f ile <...>

Backup fails: Failed to copy a f ile,NetworkCopyFault

FaultType: SystemError - Message: A general system error occurred: Thesystem returned an error.

Task failure: FaultType: SystemError -

Message: A general system error occurred:

The system returned an error. Communication

with the virtual machine might have been

interrupted.

File Not FoundFailed to reattach disks to the desktop thatwere temporarily attached to the CachePointAppliance

FileLockedDesktop Backup error: Invalid virtual machine


Free space is 0Insufficient space to create a desktop or anInstallation Machine

Full host domain name required (eg. Host.domain.com)




General System Error





interrupted.

High swap memory usage Monitor Unidesk virtual appliances

Hot-add of digest enabled disk not supported

Failed to add disk ... Reason: Hot-add of

digest enabled disk not supported





https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/backup-fails-failed-copy-file-networkcopyfault

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/task-failure-faulttype-systemerror-message-general-system-error-occurred-system-returned-



https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/insufficient-space-create-desktop-or-installation-machine




https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/failed-add-disk-reason-hot-add-digest-enabled-disk-not-supported



Appliance

hrtimer: interrupt took ####### nsBenign Management Appliance and

CachePoint console messages

importwsclient.exe has stopped working

When importing your Gold, your MA/MCP

must be in the same vCenter as the Gold

Image

Troubleshooting the Unidesk Gold Image

Tools (setup_x86.exe, setup_x64.exe)

In UseDesktop backup fails: "The hypervisor couldnot create a new virtual machine. Unable tolocate ServiceHost"

Incorrect Windows PowerShell version 3.0Appliance Backup error: Incorrect WindowsPowerShell version 3.0.

Input/Output ErrorFailed to reattach disks to the desktop thatwere temporarily attached to the CachePointAppliance

Internal service failure occurred; preparing for restart."Internal service failure occurred; preparing for

restart" e-mail: what does it mean?

internal web service error: Drive C on unit xxxxxx not found, cannot dothe import.





Invalid configuration for device '0'

"Invalid configuration for device '0'" errors

when reconfiguring a VM

vSphere client reports "invalid configuration"

when creating multiple desktops (UNI-6574)

Invalid credentials Error: Invalid Credentials

Invalid URI: A port was expected because of there is a colon(':') presentbut the port could not be parsed

Installation fails: "Invalid URI: A port was

expected because of there is a colon(':')

present but the port could not be parsed"

Invalid Video Memory"Invalid configuration for device '0'" errors

when reconfiguring a VM

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/benign-management-appliance-and-cachepoint-console-messages

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/when-importing-your-gold-your-mamcp-must-be-same-vcenter-gold-image



https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/appliance-backup-error-incorrect-windows-powershell-version-30


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/internal-service-failure-occurred-preparing-restart-e-mail-what-does-it-mean



https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/vsphere-client-reports-invalid-configuration-when-creating-multiple-desktops-uni-6574

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/error-invalid-credentials

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/installation-fails-invalid-uri-port-was-expected-because-there-colon-present-port-could-n



Invalid virtual machine state. Unexpected snapshots found

Desktop Backup error: Invalid virtual machine


InvalidStateDesktop Backup error: Invalid virtual machine


LDAP creation failedDebugging domain join problems in Windows

7

ldap_compare_s failed


XP


7

Low disk space Monitor Unidesk virtual appliances

More than one VM found with vmId=vm-####...




Neither hypervisor connection nor machine ID can be specif ied for anunmanaged machine

Can't add desktops to Xen catalogs, UniVIA

error about "unmanaged machine"

NetJoinDomain attempt failedDebugging domain join problems in Windows

7

NetpCheckDomainNameIsValid for patheon.net returned 0x54bDebugging domain join problems in Windows

XP

NetpGetComputerObjectDn failedDebugging domain join problems in WindowsXP

NetpModifyComputerObjectInDsDebugging domain join problems in Windows

7

nfsd: peername failed (err 107)!Benign Management Appliance andCachePoint console messages

NIC not installingClear out old network boards on restored

Desktops so the NIC will install








https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/cant-add-desktops-xen-catalogs-univia-error-about-unmanaged-machine






https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/clear-out-old-network-boards-restored-21-desktops-so-nic-will-install


Non-persistent desktops get stuck in a Powering on state duringcreation

Troubleshooting Nonpersistent Desktop

Creation

Not enough spaceInsufficient space to create a desktop or anInstallation Machine

NTOSKRNL.EXE is missing or corruptBoot f ile error 0xC000000F in the OS layerwhile trying to install MS updates

Object reference not set to an instance of an object

Create desktop fails with error “The virtual

infrastructure failed to create a virtual

machine. Error is: Object reference not set to

an instance of an object"

Connection Broker Error:


One of the specif ied user groups, <group-name>, could not be mappedto a valid SID.

"Broker error: One of the specif ied usergroups could not be mapped to a valid SID,"

Operation not permittedFailed to reattach disks to the desktop thatwere temporarily attached to the CachePointAppliance

Preparing to deploy configuration changes - Could not determine if auser was logged on during the last attempt to rebuild the desktop

Could not determine if a user was logged on

during the last attempt to rebuild the

desktop

Preparing to deploy configuration changes - This desktop is alreadydown for another maintenance operation. This operation cannotcontinue until the previous operation has completed.

This desktop is already down for another

maintenance operation. This operation

cannot continue until the previous operation

has completed.

Rebuild requiredThe state of a desktop is "Rebuild required"(formerly "Unusable")

Request Failed for VMTemplatesResultTask failure: The object has already been

deleted or has not been completely created

S2SCOMM_UniVIA_SRV_THREAD Server: Request thread-<...> failed tocomplete in <...> secs

Configure Unidesk Virtual Desktop

Connection Broker Agent to exclude View

Security Servers

SendCmdMessage failed, error FailsTroubleshooting Nonpersistent Desktop

Creation

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/troubleshooting-nonpersistent-desktop-creation

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/insufficient-space-create-desktop-or-installation-machine


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/create-desktop-fails-error-%E2%80%9C-virtual-infrastructure-failed-create-virtual-machine-error-o




https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/could-not-determine-if-user-was-logged-during-last-attempt-rebuild-desktop

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktop-already-down-another-maintenance-operation-operation-cannot-continue-until-previo

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/state-desktop-unusable

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/task-failure-object-has-already-been-deleted-or-has-not-been-completely-created


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/troubleshooting-nonpersistent-desktop-creation


set_rtc_mmss: can't update from 59 to 0Benign Management Appliance andCachePoint console messages

"Setup is preparing your computer for f irst use" on every bootWindows installation cannot proceed duringsystem preparation

Stalled task Resolving stalled tasks that do not complete

state manager failed on NFSv4 server <IP address> with error 13Benign Management Appliance andCachePoint console messages

Storage vMotion

Do not enable Storage DRS, or perform a

Storage vMotion, on any Unidesk desktop or

CachePoint

Recovering from Storage vMotion on a

CachePoint

System task for tracking the creation of a boot imageSystem task for tracking the creation of a

boot image -- what is this task?

System.IO.FileNotFoundExceptionUnidesk Virtual Desktop Connection BrokerAgent reports task failures if VMware View isinstalled in a non-default location (UNI-6962)

Task In ProgressFailed to reattach disks to the desktop thatwere temporarily attached to the CachePointAppliance

The assigned desktop source for this desktop is not currently available.View Client error: "The assigned desktopsource for this desktop is not currentlyavailable."

The CachePoint Appliance could not create the boot image.



Appliance

Desktop boot fails: The CachePoint

Appliance could not create the boot image

Error: The CachePoint Appliance could not

create the boot image. Error is: Failed to

mount a remote virtual machine locally

"The computer restarted unexpectedly or

encountered an unexpected error. Windows


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/windows-installation-cannot-proceed-during-system-preparation

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/resolving-stalled-tasks-do-not-complete


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/do-not-enable-storage-drs-or-perform-storage-vmotion-any-unidesk-desktop-or-cachepoint

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/recovering-storage-vmotion-cachepoint

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/system-task-tracking-creation-boot-image-what-task





https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktop-boot-fails-cachepoint-appliance-could-not-create-boot-image

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/error-cachepoint-appliance-could-not-create-boot-image-error-failed-mount-remote-virtual-

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/computer-restarted-unexpectedly-or-encountered-unexpected-error-windows-installation-cann


The computer restarted unexpectedly or encountered an unexpectederror. Windows installation cannot proceed.

installation cannot proceed."

Windows installation cannot proceed during

system preparation

The desktop is in the process of restarting; the Unidesk system iswaiting for an indication that the desktop is ready before it proceeds

"The desktop is in the process of restarting;

the Unidesk system is waiting for an

indication that the desktop is ready before it

proceeds"

The expected thumbprint for "virtual-center-host:443" was notprovided

Open Console fails with the message:

Connection failure: The expected thumbprint

for "virtual-center-host:443" was not

provided

The hypervisor could not create a new virtual machine. Unable to locateServiceHost



locate ServiceHost"

The hypervisor could not reconfigure a virtual machine.Failed to reattach disks to the desktop thatwere temporarily attached to the CachePointAppliance

The number of licensed desktops has been exceeded. You will still beable to create Desktops for a limited time. Please contact Unidesk toobtain a new license, or click the Finish button to update your license ifyou have already purchased a new one.

Uploading your Unidesk license

The object has already been deleted or has not been completelycreated

Task failure: The object has already been

deleted or has not been completely created

The operating system couldn't be loaded because the NLS data ismissing or contains errors

Boot f ile error 0xC000000F in the OS layerwhile trying to install MS updates

The operating system is not adequate for running Hyper-V Agent.Hyper-V agent install error: The operatingsystem is not adequate for running Hyper-VAgent.

The operation is not allowed in the current connection state of thehost.



locate ServiceHost"

The specif ied domain either does not exist or could not be contacted.


XP


7


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktop-process-restarting-unidesk-system-waiting-indication-desktop-ready-it-proceeds-0

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/connection-failure-expected-thumbprint-virtual-center-host443-was-not-provided



https://www.unidesk.com/support/learn/2.9.4_for_vSphere/administer/use_the_unidesk_management_console_(umc)/admin_umc_license

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/task-failure-object-has-already-been-deleted-or-has-not-been-completely-created


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/hyper-v-agent-install-error-operating-system-not-adequate-running-hyper-v-agent





The system cannot f ind the f ile specif iedCannot power on CachePoint, "Cannot open

the disk 'UnideskLayers/..."

The trust relationship between this workstation and the primarydomain failed

Technical Note: Disabling automatic

password change for nonpersistent desktops

The username or password is incorrect.




The virtual infrastructure failed to create a virtual machine. Error is:Object reference not set to an instance of an object

Create desktop fails with error “The virtual

infrastructure failed to create a virtual

machine. Error is: Object reference not set to

an instance of an object"

The virtual infrastructure failed to reconfigure a virtual machine. Error is:Argument is out of range. Parameter name: index

Desktop task fails, "Argument is out of range.

Parameter name: index"

The virtual infrastructure failed to stop a virtual machine. Error is:internal web service error: Drive C on unit xxxxxx not found, cannot dothe import.





This desktop currently has no desktop sources available.View Client error: "The assigned desktopsource for this desktop is not currentlyavailable."

This desktop is already down for another maintenance operation. Thisoperation cannot continue until the previous operation has completed.

This desktop is already down for another

maintenance operation. This operation

cannot continue until the previous operation

has completed.

USB or Audio devices disappear after a

desktop or layer boots without the Broker

Agent

This virtual machine might have been moved or copied.VMware asks whether "I moved it" or "I

copied it" for a Unidesk desktop VM

Too Many users.Failed to reattach disks to the desktop thatwere temporarily attached to the CachePointAppliance

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/cannot-power-cachepoint-cannot-open-disk-unidesklayers

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/technical-note-disabling-automatic-password-change-nonpersistent-desktops


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/create-desktop-fails-error-%E2%80%9C-virtual-infrastructure-failed-create-virtual-machine-error-o

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktop-task-fails-argument-out-range-parameter-name-index



https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktop-already-down-another-maintenance-operation-operation-cannot-continue-until-previo

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/usb-or-audio-devices-disappear-after-desktop-or-layer-boots-without-broker-agent




Unable to access file <...> since it is locked Desktop Backup error: Invalid virtual machine


Unable to contact the Hyper-V host machine. Make sure that the hostis online and the credentials are valid.

Converting a vSphere gold image in order to

be used with Hyper-V

Unable to f ind user: <...> in domain <...>




Unable to locate a Disk at Unit # '0'



error exists'

Unable to locate VirtualMachine (vm-nnnn), while trying to determine

the parent folder.

Unable to locate VirtualMachine (vm-nnnn),

while trying to determine the parent folder

Unexpected Exception Occurred




UNEXPECTED INCONSISTENCY: RUN fsck MANUALLY.



interruption

Unidesk denied an attempt to rename a directory from one of the readonly portions of the f ile system.

Unifiltr EventID 3: Unidesk denied an attempt

to rename a directory

Unknown (Invalid)Debugging domain join problems in Windows

7

VM was not in a valid state for operation DeleteVMCommand





interrupted.

VMware asks whether "I moved it" or "I copied it" for a Unidesk desktopVM

VMware asks whether "I moved it" or "Icopied it" for a Unidesk desktop VM

vmware tools not running

Desktops in sleep state become unresponsive

in vCenter and Unidesk Management Console

(UNI-7014)


https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/converting-vsphere-gold-image-order-be-used-hyper-v



https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/unable-locate-virtualmachine-vm-nnnn-while-trying-determine-parent-folder



https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/unifiltr-eventid-3-unidesk-denied-attempt-rename-directory




https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktops-sleep-state-become-unresponsive-vcenter-and-unidesk-management-console-uni-7014


Waiting for an operation for the Personalization Layer to completebefore creating a boot image.

Waiting for an operation for the

Personalization Layer to complete before

creating a boot image

Waiting for f inal provisioning of the CachePoint Appliance

Create CachePoint task hung at "Waiting for

final provisioning of the CachePoint

Appliance"

Waiting for the CachePoint Appliance to complete a boot image taskfor the desktop before starting the Personalization Layer operation

"Waiting for the CachePoint Appliance to

complete a boot image task for the desktop

before starting the Personalization Layer

operation"

Waiting for the desktop to disconnect from the Unidesk system beforeit can proceed to the next step

"Waiting for the desktop to disconnect from

the Unidesk system before it can proceed to

the next step"

Waiting to receive an IP address for the CachePoint Appliance. Problems deploying CachePoint Appliances

Windows could not parse or process the unattend answer file for pass

[specialize]. The settings specified in the answer file cannot be applied.

The error was detected while processing settings for component

[Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup].

Mini-setup fails with error: Windows could

not parse or process the unattend answer file

for pass [specialize]

Desktop create fails: "Windows could not

parse or process unattend answer file

[C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml] for pass

[specialize]. The answer file is invalid."

Windows failed to load because the kernel is missing, or corrupt.Boot file error 0xC000000F in the OS layer


Windows failed to startBoot file error 0xC000000F in the OS layer


Windows installation cannot proceed.Windows installation cannot proceed during

system preparation

Windows is not Genuine Windows is not Genuine

Windows updates error out with 80071a91, 80070BC9, 80079c59,8007000e, or prompt for restart forever

Microsoft updates fail: 80071a91, 80070BC9,

80079c59, 8007000e, or prompt for restart

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/waiting-operation-personalization-layer-complete-creating-boot-image

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/create-cachepoint-task-hung-waiting-final-provisioning-cachepoint-appliance

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/waiting-cachepoint-appliance-complete-boot-image-task-desktop-starting-personalization-la

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/waiting-desktop-disconnect-unidesk-system-it-can-proceed-next-step

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/problems-deploying-cachepoint-appliances

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/mini-setup-fails-error-windows-could-not-parse-or-process-unattend-answer-file-pass-speci

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktop-create-fails-windows-could-not-parse-or-process-unattend-answer-file-cwindowspant




https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/desktops-lose-activation-or-say-windows-not-genuine-after-edits

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/microsoft-updates-fail-80071a91-80070bc9-80079c59-8007000e-or-prompt-restart-forever


forever

You must restart your computer to apply these changes

New SCSI controller causes Windows to

prompt for a reboot after installing the

device

CPU differences in ESX cluster causes

Windows to prompt for a reboot after

detecting a new CPU

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/new-scsi-controller-causes-windows-prompt-reboot-after-installing-device

https://www.unidesk.com/support/kb/cpu-differences-esx-cluster-causes-windows-prompt-reboot-after-detecting-new-cpu