Control: Template Periodic Maintenance

Introduction

Workspot desktops are imaged from saved images called Workspot Templates. Because templates are static image files, their operating system and applications drift out of date over time.

With persistent desktops, using an older image is self-correcting when automatic update processes like Windows Update are enabled. Persistent desktops last a long time, typically months or even years, so automatic updates are a normal and essential part of their operation.

With non-persistent desktops, however, the desktop is typically reimaged between user sessions, and any updates made during the session are discarded. Thus, updating the desktop is ineffective. The template must be updated.

Workspot Control's Template Periodic Maintenance feature allows templates to be booted, updated, and applied to non-persistent desktop pools automatically.

How it Works

Template periodic maintenance works as follows (this is a summary. A more detailed description is given later):

The Control administrator creates a Maintenance Policy that specifies the monthly, weekly, or single-use maintenance window.
This policy is attached to the desired template by selecting "Setup > Cloud > cloud_name > template_name > Actions > Periodic Maintenance."
At the scheduled time, the template is cloned and booted into Draft mode. If the parent template was called "TemplateXYZ," the child template is "TemplateXYZ-1"
At this point the template VM is available for update. Workspot runs no update software of its own, other than the automatic update of the Workspot Desktop Agent. The rest is up to you.
At the end of the maintenance window the template VM is shut down and published.
Non-persistent pools using the old template are updated to use the new template (for example,TemplateXYZ-1) from now on.
During the next periodic maintenance window, the current template (for example, TemplateXYZ-1) is cloned again and named TemplateXYZ-2. Otherwise, the process works as described above.
Only the most recent five templates in the series are kept.
If a failure occurs, the update ceases and the old template continues to be used.

Limitations

This is a selective feature. Contact Workspot if you would like it enabled.
Consumption billing customers pay for the uptime of the draft-mode template (approximately the same as the maintenance window) as if it were an hourly rate desktop.
Only templates used by non-persistent desktop pools, or that aren't assigned to any pools at all, are eligible for periodic maintenance. Persistent pools, RD pools, RDP apps, etc. are not supported.
- If you use the same template for both persistent and non-persistent pools, clone it and assign one template to your persistent pools and the other to your non-persistent pools.
You cannot schedule a maintenance window that starts less than 30 minutes from now.

Procedure

Create the Maintenance Policy

Sign into Workspot Control as an administrator.
Go to the "Policies" page and click the "Add a New Policy" button.
Fill in the new policy:
- Choose a name for the policy.
- Select "Maintenance" from the "Policy Type" menu.
- Choose whether the policy should run monthly, weekly, or just once.
- Choose the date and time the policy should run. Do not select a start time that is within 30 minutes of now or a window that includes the current time.
- Select a duration in the range of 1-5 hours.
Click "Add Policy."

Attach the Policy to a Template

Check the "Actions" menu for the desired template ("Setup > Cloud > cloud_name > template_name > Actions") to verify that it contains a "Periodic Maintenance" menu item that is not grayed out.
- If there is no "Periodic Maintenance" item, the feature is not enabled. Contact Workspot.
- If it is shown in gray, the feature is not available, probably because the template isn't in the "Published" state. Only published templates are candidates for periodic maintenance.
Select "Periodic Maintenance." The "Assign Periodic Maintenance Policy" page appears.
- Select the desired maintenance policy from the drop-down menu.
- In the "Region" field, click the "'Search" button and select the region used by your template in the "Region" field.
- Add notes as desired.
Click "Save" to enable the periodic maintenance policy on the template.

Monitor the Update

After the maintenance window has come and gone, check the Events page; for example, by searching for the word "Maintenance." You should see entries like the ones below, which show successful template maintenance.

Note: Remember, Workspot does not perform any updates on its own initiative except for the Workspot Desktop Agent. The rest is up to you.

You will also see the new template listed as follows:

In the list of templates at "Setup > Cloud > cloud_name."
In the "Template" column on the "Resources > VDI Pools" page.
In the "Template" column on the "Resources > VDI Pools > poolname > Summary" tab.