Workspot Linux Desktops, Apps, and Agent

  • Updated on Nov 6, 2024
  • Published on Jul 18, 2024
  • 3 minute(s) read
  • Robert Plamondon

Introduction

This document summarizes the features and recent and upcoming releases of the Workspot Linux Agent and the Linux Desktops and Apps that use it.

Workspot supports Linux desktops, which operate in much the same way as Workspot Windows desktops. They are managed in the same way by the Workspot Control administrator, reached by end-users using the same Workspot Clients, and so on. These desktops run the Workspot Linux Agent, allowing them to be managed and monitored by Workspot Control.

Linux VMs can also be used as multi-user Application Server Pools, where the “application” is typically a full Linux login session that seems much the same as a dedicated Linux VM to the end-user, allowing multiple users to use the same Linux VM simultaneously. These VMs also run the Workspot Linux Agent. This functionality was introduced in Linux Agent 1.6.0.

The main difference, obviously, is that Workspot Linux desktops run Linux instead of Windows, which in turn requires that their virtual machines be built from a Linux-based template. In addition, Linux desktops run the Workspot Linux Agent rather than the Workspot Windows Desktop Agent.

How it Works

End-users connect to their Linux desktops using the Workspot Client, which opens an RDP connection that typically passes through a Workspot Gateway, in exactly the same way as connecting to a Workspot Windows desktop or app.

The xRDP package, the Workspot Linux Agent, and other packages needed to support end-user login and other necessary functions are installed to the Linux template via one of the “workspot_linux_installer” scripts on download.workspot.com. Once this installation is complete, the template is ready to be used to create Workspot Linux pools: Linux persistent desktop pools, Linux non-persistent desktop pools, or (starting with Linux Agent 1.6.0) Linux application server pools.

Recent and Upcoming Releases

Workspot provides different releases for different Linux distros. These are identified by the version of the Workspot Linux Agent they use. See Linux Distro Support by Cloud and VM Type for details of which features are supported by distro.

For installation instructions, see Using the Workspot Linux Agent.

Linux Agent 1.7.0

Highlights:

  • Scheduled for November 8, 2024.

  • Supports RHEL 9.4 on Amazon AWS EC2, Google GCP, and Microsoft Azure.

  • Supports desktop pools and application server pools. When deployed as an application server pool, a single Linux app server VM hosts multiple simultaneous user sessions, each of which behaves like a persistent desktop as far as the end-user is concerned.

  • Multi-monitor support when using a multi-monitor-capable Workspot Client (Windows or Mac).

  • See Creating Linux VMs on Azure and GCP and Creating a Linux Template on Amazon AWS EC2 for installation and configuration instructions.

Linux Desktop Agent 1.6.0

Highlights:

  • Current production release for RHEL 7.9 Linux on Hyper-V and VMware (only).

  • Supports desktop pools and application server pools. When deployed as an application server pool, a single Linux app server VM hosts multiple simultaneous user sessions, each of which behaves like a persistent desktop as far as the end-user is concerned.

  • Multi-monitor support when using a multi-monitor-capable Workspot Client (Windows or Mac).

  • See Creating Linux VMs on Red Hat Enterpise Linux (RHEL) 7.9 for installation and configuration instructions.

Limitations:

  • No GPU support.

  • Supported only on Hyper-V and VMware VMs.

  • Tested only on the Windows Client.

Linux Desktop Agent 1.5.0

Highlights:

Limitations:

  • Video playback in a browser window dramatically slows down the responsiveness in other windows.

  • Installation intermittently fails due to “unmet dependencies.” Workaround: run the installation script again.

  • Azure template cloning is not supported on this release.

Linux Desktop Agent 1.4.0

  • Current Production release for CentOS.

  • Supports CentOS 7.9 (GPU and non-GPU) on the GCP Cloud only.

  • Okta login support.

  • Support for startup and custom startup scripts.

  • Install from Workspot_linux_installer_1.4.0_CentOS7.9.sh

Linux Desktop Agent 1.3.1

  • Current Production release for Ubuntu 18.04 non-GPU desktops on GCP, Azure, and AWS EC2 Clouds.

  • A bug that blocked reconnection if a screen saver timeout was enabled has been fixed.

  • Install from Workspot_linux_installer_1.3.1_Ubuntu18.04.sh

Linux Desktop Agent 1.3.0

  • Supports Ubuntu 18.04 (non-GPU only) on GCP, Azure, and AWS EC2 Clouds.

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