Management and Lifecycle Tasks for Imported Desktop Images

No matter where your desktop images are imported from, their management and lifecycle tasks are the same.

Typical Desktop Image Lifecycle

  1. Import the desktop image.

    See any of the following for detailed information:

  2. Power on the desktop image.

    • Navigate to Desktop Images.

    • Locate the desktop image you wish to power on.

    • Select Power on.

    • Optionally, select Back up VM before powering on.

      Note: Selecting this option makes a backup of the desktop image VM before it is powered on, which creates a snapshot of the current configuration. The first backup process may take a long time.

      The VM powers on.

  3. Use the VM's IP address or name to connect to it using RDP and make all the desired changes.

  4. Select Power off & set as image.

    See Desktop Images Set as Image for details.

    Note: An extensive automation process begins that commits the changes to an image object. This includes many tasks you would have had to do manually like Sysprep and sealing the image.

    You can see the job's progress in the logs. See Desktop Images Change Log Feature for details about the logs.

  5. Once the image is set, you can use it to build new host pools or re-image an existing host pool.

    See the following for detailed information.

Endpoint Management Software Integration

Nerdio Manager allows you to utilize the power of an endpoint management tool (for example, Microsoft's Endpoint Configuration Manager or Ivanti's Endpoint Manager) to leverage its power to work with Nerdio Manager.

Endpoint Management Software Integration Example

Patch Tuesday, when Microsoft releases its monthly software updates, occurs on the second Tuesday of each month at about 10 AM Pacific Standard Time. You can use your endpoint management tool, along with Nerdio Manager, to fully automate applying the Windows Updates to the desktop image and re-imaging the host pools with the updated desktop image.

Note: This is just one example of the many things you can do using these built-in automation tools.

  • In Nerdio Manager, when you perform the Set as image function, be sure to select the Leave desktop image VM running option. This leaves the VM running after the Set as image task completes and the endpoint management tool can access the VM and change the image.

  • In the endpoint management tool, create a recurring scheduled job/runbook on Patch Tuesday to apply the Windows Updates.

  • In Nerdio Manager, configure the Set as image function for the desktop image to be a recurring job that starts shortly after the endpoint management tool's job completes. See Desktop Images Set as Image for details about configuring the job.

  • In Nerdio Manager, configure the Re-image Hosts function for the host pool to be recurring job that starts shortly after the Set as image process completes. See Resize/Re-image a Host Pool for details about configuring the job.

So, by creating three recurring scheduled jobs you can apply the Windows Updates to the VM, set the VM image, and then update the host pool with the updated desktop image every month.