Workspot offers various Power Management features on our GCP integration to help optimize IaaS cost and savings.
Non-persistent VDI pools
The VDI desktops in non-persistent pools are assigned to the user only for a single session. VDI desktops are created on demand from the Workspot template when an end user clicks the desktop icon in the Workspot client and VDI desktops are deleted after each user session for security and cost savings. VDI Desktop deletion will occur when:
A user signs out manually.
A user is signed out as the result of idle and session timers in a Time Limits policy, or via the default time limits if there is no policy.
A user is signed out as the result of Windows RDP idle/session timeouts or other session-ending Windows actions.
A user is signed out or the desktop is rebooted by a Control administrator.
Warm up policies
Optional, to assist in improving user login time durations, VDI desktops can also be provisioned on a schedule, so they are ready before the users sign in by configuring Warm Up policies. This prevents users from having to wait while their desktops are created (imaged, provisioned) and powered up. A Warmup Policy allows you to specify the number of desktops to have ready for users at any given time during a 24 hours 7 days timeframe. Warmup policies are shown in a matrix with the day of the week on one axis the time of day on the other, creating an array of 30-minute time slots. Each time slot specifies the number of warmed-up desktops to be ready at the start of the period. This number includes the already-active users, so if you specify 100 desktops and the period starts with 10 users already signed in, 90 desktops are warmed up. Sole-tenant nodes are spun up as needed to support warming up VDI desktops.
By default, once the warmed-up VDI desktops have booted fully (imaged, domain joined, Ready state), VDI desktop then paused in GCP with sole-tenant nodes are spun down. They are resumed as users sign in.
When VDI desktops are deleted after each user session is completely signed off (not disconnected state), if total number of VDI desktops provisioned (VDI desktops with active user session + Paused\Ready\Available state VDI desktops) in the pool is lower than configured desktops # in Warmup policies, another VDI desktop is warmed up.
Workspot offers an option to not pause VDI desktops after warmup to further improve user login time durations but sole-tenant nodes remain active while the VDI desktop are running.
Cost implication: Billing is incurred during the warm-up phase. Once the VDI desktop is fully booted and then paused, the billing stops. Billing resumes once the user signs-on and starts using the desktop.
Example warmup policies full week schedule:
Time Limit Policies
Workspot Time Limit policies allow you to set idle and other timeouts for your VDI desktops to help further reduce IaaS cost by ensuring disconnected user sessions are signed off their VDI desktops and the VDI desktop is deleted. Settings that assist in cost optimizations:
Idle Timeout. Range: None, 5 minutes to 3 hours. The Workspot session is disconnected or signed off once the desktop is idle (no keyboard or mouse activity) for this period.
Idle Time Action. Disconnect User or Sign Out. After Idle timeout is detected, Workspot can either:
Disconnect the session with the state of the desktop itself is unchanged and is actively running in GCP: the user can reconnect and continue as before. A two-minute warning is given before disconnecting, giving the user time to provide input to keep the connection going.
Gracefully sign out the user session in which the desktop is deleted and stop occurring IaaS cost.
Sign out after Disconnect. Range: None, 5 minutes to 2 hours. The VDI desktops is deleted after the session has been disconnected for this period and depending on warmup policies, VDI desktops will be provisioned or not. During this period, the VDI desktop is still running on sole-tenant nodes.
Cost implication: Billing is incurred during the “idle timeout” phase and/or during the “sign out after disconnect” phase. Charges continue to accrue until the desktop is deleted.
Example Time limit policy
