Learn how to customize each desktop collection to maximize cost-savings while enabling the highest productivity for end-users.
This article refers to the MyCloudIT Gen 2 platform, which was launched in 2015. Look for MyCloudIT Gen 3 to be launched in early 2021.
Overview
Desktop collections give your end-users full access to their remote desktop as if it were a local computer. Users can open multiple apps at the same time and have them interact with one another, which is different from RemoteApp collections.
One organization can have multiple desktop collections pertinent to the needs of different departments. This guide will show you how to customize each desktop collection to maximize cost-savings while enabling the highest productivity for end-users.
Add a New Desktop Collection
From the Deployment page, open the deployment you want to edit, and then add a New Desktop Collection.
- Click “+Add” button
- Fill out the RD Collection name
- Choose Windows 8, Windows 10 or Golden image version
- And the total number of users for the collection
- Select the Storage size for the per user
- Based on inputs, MyCloudIT offers a default recommended infrastructure which can be customized further in Advanced Options. You can customize SH VM sizes and the total number of session hosts for collection.
Edit a Desktop Collection
1. Details Page
You will see the Collection Name, Collection Description and the User Groups associated with this Desktop Collection
There is a real-time update about the collection utilization to let you know whether you still have the capacity to add more desktops.
You must add User Groups to a Desktop Collection through Users/Groups page.
2. Host Servers
If Desktop Collection utilization exceeds the recommended capacity, adding new Session Hosts can help avoid slow user experience and performance issues.
- Add new Host Servers: Click “+Add” button and fill out the required information (Windows version and number of users). Based on input, MyCloudIT offers a default recommended infrastructure which can be customized further in Advanced Options. You can customize SH VM sizes and the total number of session hosts for collection.
- Edit existing Host Servers:
- Clone allows you to clone an existing session host server so it can be leveraged as a new Golden Image. Click to read about the new Clone Server and how it can be leveraged as a new Golden Image.
- Select Transfer to transfer a server to another Desktop Collection.
- Select Delete to delete a server from current Desktop Collection.
- You cannot transfer or delete a session host if it is the only VM in a Collection
3. Session Settings
Edit Session Settings to specify Broken Connection Actions and Timeout Limit
- When a session limit is reached or a connection is broken: Disconnect or Log Off.
- Disconnect: Close the session without logging off the user from it. The user will be kicked out of the session but it will remain open on the server side.
- Log Off: Close and end the session on the server side. This option will close all programs and files that were open right before the logoff.
Choose Enable Automatic Connection under Disconnect is beneficial if there is an internet connectivity issue, the system itself will try to log in back immediately once the internet is reestablished. If do not check this option, it just closes the session.
- Timeout Limits:
- Disconnected Session Limit: End a disconnected session after a certain time limit. It means that after a session has been disconnected (e.g. when the user closes the session but doesn’t sign out) for the selected time, the system will end it.
- Active Session Limit: End an active session after a certain time limit. It means that after a session has been active for the selected time, the system will end it.
- Idle Session Limit: End an idle session after a certain time limit. It means that after a session has been idle (idle means active but not in use) for the selected time, the system will end it.
The benefits of closing the session without signing out is that the next time you open it everything will be just like the user left it. The disadvantages of not signing out is that every session that is not ended remains consuming resources in the virtual machine even if it is a little bit, so for system administrators it is important to end the disconnected session after a reasonable timeframe.
4. Client Settings
Edit client settings for Device Redirection, Printers, and Monitors
- Device Redirection: Specify devices and resources on the client device that can be accessed when a user connects to a session-based desktop
- Audio & video playback: Redirect audio and video to be reproduced on the remote desktop connection.
- Audio Recording: Redirect audio to be recorded on the remote desktop connection.
- Smart cards: Redirect access to Smart Cards from the remote desktop connection.
- Plug & Play devices: Redirect access to Plug & Play devices to be used from the remote desktop connection.
- Printers: After allowing Client Printer Redirection, you’ll have 2 options. Use Client Printer As Default Printing Device means everything printed in the remote session host will be redirected to the printer on site. Use Remote Desktop Easy Print allows you easily connect in most printers remotely.
- Monitors: Specify the maximum number of monitors end-users can connect to for the remote desktop session hosts. If set this to 200, end-users could connect to 200 monitors but could not connect to 201 monitors.Note*: The monitor is the term for the view of computer. If the computer is a machine, then the number of screens connected to this machine means the number of monitors are accessed to the session hosts.
5. Load Balancing Settings
List out all the servers available. If you are using more than 1 host server, you can specify how many sessions to create on each by using the Session Limit column. Edit the Session Limit to X means no more than X number of connections on the session host at the same time.
6. Security Settings
Edit Security Setting for Security Layer and Encryption Level. Specify from the client to the “RD Session Host” servers in the session collection
- Security Layer:
- Negotiate: This is the default setting. The most secure layer that is supported by the client will be used. If supported, SSL (TLS 1.0) will be used. If the client does not support SSL (TLS 1.0), the RDP Security Layer will be used.
- SSL (TSL 1.0): Will be used for server authentication and for encrypting all data transferred between the server and the client
- RDP Security Layer: Communication between the server and the client will use native RDP encryption. If you select RDP Security Layer, you cannot use Network Level Authentication.
- Encryption Level:
- Low: This level encrypts data sent from the client to the server by using 56-bit encryption. Data sent from the server to the client is not encrypted.
- Client Compatible: This is the default setting. This level encrypts data sent between the client and the server at the maximum key strength supported by the client. Use this level when the RD Session Host server is running in an environment containing mixed or legacy clients.
- High: This level encrypts data sent from the client to the server and from the server to the client by using 128-bit encryption. Use this level when the RD Session Host server is running in an environment containing 128-bit clients only (such as Remote Desktop Connection clients). Clients that do not support this level of encryption will not be able to connect.
- FIPS Compliant: This level encrypts and decrypts data sent from the client to the server and from the server to the client by using Federal Information Process Standard (FIPS) 140-1 validated encryption methods. Clients that do not support this level of encryption cannot connect. For more information about this option, learn here.
Have a question about Desktop Collections? Email us at support@mycloudit.com.