Clone Desktop Images

Nerdio Manager allows you to clone an existing desktop image and create a new one with the same properties. You can create new desktop images based on existing ones and recreate all the customizations associated with your previously created desktop images. There is no need to reconfigure the environment from scratch.

Tip: If you would like to replicate your image and move it to another region, simply select a network available in that region as part of the cloning operation. See below for details.

To clone a desktop image:

  1. Navigate to Desktop Images.

  2. Locate the desktop image you wish to clone.

  3. From the action menu, select Clone.

  4. Enter the following information:

    • Count: Type the number of image(s) to be created when cloning.

    • Name: Type the image's name.

    • Description: Type the image's description.

    • Network: From the drop-down list, select the network the VM connects to.

    • VM Size: From the drop-down list, select the VM size.

    • OS disk: From the drop-down list, select the OS disk.

    • Resource Group: From the drop-down list, select the resource group.

    • Security type: From the drop-down list, select the security option that best suits your desktop image VM.

      Note:

      • Standard is set by default. Additional security options are only available for generation 2 VMs with the Geographic distribution & Azure compute gallery option enabled.

      • The Trusted launch and Confidential virtual machines security options help improve the security of Azure generation 2 virtual machines. However, additional security features they provide also have some limitations, such as the lack of support for backup, managed disks, and ephemeral OS disks. To learn more, see:

    • Integrity Monitoring: Select this option to enable cryptographic attestation and verification of VM boot integrity along with monitoring alerts if the VM didn't boot because the attestation failed with the defined baseline.

    • OS State: From the drop-down list, select the OS state.

      Note:

      • Generalized images have had the machine and user-specific information removed by running a command on the VM.

      • Specialized images have not been through the process to remove machine and user-specific information.

    • Join to AD: Select this option and from the drop-down list, select the AD.

      Note: Unselect this option to not join this desktop image VM to AD during the creation process. This prevents the AD GPOs from applying to the image before it is created. Be sure to specify local administrator credentials below to be able to connect to the VM, since it won't be a member of the AD domain.

    • Skip removal of local profiles: Select this option to bypass removing all local user profiles.

      Note: During the image creation process, Nerdio Manager removes all local user profiles. This increases the likelihood of Sysprep success. Selecting this option bypasses this step. If there are any partially installed APPX apps on the image VM, Sysprep does to remove them.

    • Do not create image object: Select this option if you do not want to create an image object.

    • Enable time zone redirection: Select this option if you want users to view the local time zone inside their AVD desktop sessions.

    • Install certificates: Select this option if you want to install any stored certificates on the image VM.

    • Set time zone: From the drop-down list, select the time zone.

    • Provide custom credentials for a local administrator user: Toggle this option on if you are the local admin and want to provide the username and password.

    • Geographic distribution & Azure compute gallery: Toggle this option on if you want to replicate your cloned image across regions.

      • Azure Compute Gallery: From the drop-down list, select an existing Azure compute gallery or create a new one.

        Note: Only one gallery can be selected. The existing gallery must be in a linked resource group in the same Azure subscription as the image VM.

      • Azure Regions: From the drop-down list, select the Azure regions where the Desktop Image version should be replicated.

        Note: The current Azure region must be part of the selection.

      • Replica count: Type the number of replicas to allow per region.

        Note: The Azure Compute Gallery replicas support a maximum of 20 concurrent clone operations per replica. Ensure that the number of replicas specified meets your deployment requirements. Up to 100 replicas per region are supported. Replicas may only be deployed within the same subscription.

    • Run the following scripted actions before clone image: Toggle this option on if you want to run scripted actions before cloning the image.

      • From the drop-down list, select the scripted actions.

      • Select Pass AD credentials if you want to use them to run the scripted actions.

    • Application Management: Toggle this option on if you want to manage applications before cloning the image.

      Notes:

      • You may add as many applications as desired.

      • Drag and drop an application in the list to change its order on the list.

      • Select the "X" next to an application to remove it from the list.

      • Install/Uninstall: Select whether the deployment policy should install or uninstall the selected applications.

      • Reboot after installation: Select this option to reboot the cloned image after installation.

      • Show favorites only: Select this option to only display applications marked as favorites. Otherwise, you may search the list of applications.

  5. Select OK.

    The desktop image cloning task begins. It can take up to an hour to complete. You can monitor the progress of the task in the Desktop Images tasks section.

Related Topics

Import Images from the Azure Library

Desktop Images Change Log Feature