Creating a Linux Template on Amazon AWS EC2

This article covers the creation of a Workspot Linux template on Amazon AWS EC2. See Workspot Compatibility Matrices for a list of currently supported Linux distros.

Create a Linux VM on AWS EC2

1. Sign into the Amazon AWS Management Console

2. Under the EC2 instance page, Click on “Launch Instances.”

1. Enter the instance name of your choice.

2. Choose an instance type that’s appropriate for the desktop pools or application servers you will use with the template.

3. Choose a supported Linux Distro. See Workspot Compatibility Matrices for a list of currently supported Linux distros.

If you see your distro under Quick Start, select it:

Otherwise, select “Browse more AMIs”  and find your distro in AWS Marketplace AMIs:

4. Select an existing key pair if you have one, or click on “create new key pair.” The key pair is used when connecting to the VM through ssh.

5. Select Networking settings based on your requirements. Do not select a Public IP.

6. Set Metadata options in “Advance details.”

   1. Enable “Allow tags in metadata.” Workspot relies on metadata tags.

   2. Set “Metadata version” to “V1 and V2.” (The template will not function if you select “V2 Only.”)

7. Click the “Create” button.

8. Monitor creation progress.

9. Once created, the new instance will look something like this:

Install the Workspot Linux Agent

Connect to the VM through AWS serial console or through ssh from a Windows jump host on same network.

Install and Configure PuTTY

1. On your Windows jump host, follow the instructions under “Install and Configure PuTTY” in Configuring the Template VM With the Workspot Linux Agent.

2. In AWS EC2 portal, Select the created instance and click on connect in top-right.

2. Go to SSH Client and copy the command for ssh connection

3. Copy key-pair (.pem) file to your Windows jump host.

Connect to the Template VM and install the Workspot Software

1. On your Windows jump host, follow the instructions under “Connect to the Template VM with PuTTY” in Configuring the Template VM With the Workspot Linux Agent.

2. Install the Workspot software by following the instructions under “Configure the Template VM” in Configuring the Template VM With the Workspot Linux Agent.

3. Stop the VM from the AWS console

Prepare the Image for Control

1. To Create an AMI image that can be used by Control, select the VM instance in the AWS console and select “Actions > Image and templates.”
   

2. For the “Image name,” enter the same name as the one shown next to “Instance ID”:

3. In the left panel, Under “Images,” click “AMIs” to check the status of image creation.

4. Wait till the AMI status changes to “Available.” Control can now see the image.

5. Go to “Control > Setup > Cloud > aws_cloudname” and click “Register Template.”

   1. Select the region in which template was created and give the Instance template VM name,

   2. Click on the “Search” button.

   3. Select your Template VM.

   4. Click the “Save” button.

You have added the AWS Linux Template to Control and can use it in pools.