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Provider Management

The Administrator will be able to Add, Update, Delete, and Monitor Session Providers in HyWorks.

Supported Session Providers

HyWorks supports hypervisors and management software from VMware, Microsoft, and Nutanix. Additionally, HyWorks also supports Azure, AWS, and Oracle cloud services for virtual desktop deliveries.

Session Providers

The table given below provides information regarding the types of Session Providers supported in HyWorks and their respective supported versions.

On-premise Session Providers:

  • VMware ESXi/vCenter Server 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 8.0

  • Microsoft Hyper-V 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022

  • Microsoft SCVMM - 2016, 2019, 2022

  • Nutanix AHV - v20230302.102001 (AOS 6.10) [Refer to the note below], v20230302.2008 (AOS 6.7.1.5), PE 6.5, PE 5.8.2, PE 5.10, PE 5.11

  • Nutanix Prism Central - PC 2024.2.0.3 [Refer to the note below], PC 2023.4, PC 2022.4.0.2, PC 5.8.2

Note

  • Nutanix AHV v20230302.102001 (AOS 6.10) and Prism Central v2024.2.0.3 have issues affecting the following features. HyWorks v3.6-Hotfix-1.1 has been released and is recommended to used.

    • 52140: The Clone from the snapshot does not work with Nutanix-Prism Central. The features affected are Clone from Snapshot and Graceful Recompose.

    • 52146: Restore points are not getting created with Nutanix-Prism central v2024.2.0.3. Affected features: Non-persistent desktops.

    • 52326: A cloned VM fails to auto-power on with Gold Master having TPM enabled. Affected features: Customization post-provisioning.

    • 39582: HyWorks Controller is unable to detect vTPM-enabled Windows 10/11 VMs from Nutanix PE. This works fine with Nutanix Prism Central.

Cloud Services:

  • Microsoft Azure

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)

  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) [Beta]

Session Provider Function Capability

Dedicated desktop delivery can be done in various ways. This section provides details about the Provider functionality that HyWorks supports.

Feature Sub Feature Nutanix
Prism Central		 AHV
Prism Element		 VMWare
vCenter Server		 ESXi Microsoft
SCVMM 2016/2019/2022
Hyper-V 2016/2019/2022		 Cloud
Azure		 Cloud
AWS		 Cloud
Oracle		 HyWorks
Physical PC
Deploy pool with existing VMs - Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Desktop VM Provisioning Clone Type: Linked/Full/Shadow Clone (Shadow Clone) Clone (Shadow Clone) Linked & Full Clone No Linked & Full Clone Full Clone Full Clone Full Clone Full Clone No
Clone from Snapshot Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No No No No
Disk persistence: Persistent VM Deployment Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Disk persistence: Non-persistent VM Deployment Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No No No No
MAC Address Preserve on Recompose Yes Yes Yes No No No No No No No
SHD Provisioning Automatic Deployment of Session Teams Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Capacity Planning Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes No
Desktop Power Operations - Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
OS Support on Provider Windows Desktops: Windows 7,8.1, 10, 11 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Windows Servers: Windows Server 2003 / 2008 Yes (Limited) Yes (Limited) Yes (Limited) Yes (Limited) Yes (Limited) Yes (Limited) No No No Yes (Limited)
Windows Servers: Windows Server 2008 R2/ 2012R2/2016 /2019/2022 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Linux Desktops: CentOS 7 No No No No No No No No Yes Yes
Linux Desktops: Ubuntu/ xUbuntu 16/18/20 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Linux Desktops: RHEL 7.9 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Linux Desktops: BOSS v8 Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No No Yes

Add Session Providers

The configuration of dedicated Session Providers can be done from the HyWorks Controller Management Console.

Add Microsoft Hyper-V/SCVMM as a Session Provider

Microsoft Hyper-V Servers are independent hypervisors from Microsoft that can be used to host desktop virtual machines. Here, System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) serves as the management server, enabling the management of multiple Hyper-V servers.

The HyWorks Controller can be configured to work with both types of Microsoft servers, delivering dedicated desktops to end users.

Supported Hyper-V/ SCVMM Versions:

  • Microsoft Hyper-V 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022

    • Microsoft SCVMM - 2016, 2019, 2022

Prerequisites

  1. Hyper-V Server:

    • Must be running a supported Hyper-V Server; see the list of supported Hyper-V versions above.

    • Accops HyWorks Hyper-V Connector must be installed on the Hyper-V server in Hyper-V mode. It must also be configured and reachable from the HyWorks Controller. (Refer to Accops HyWorks Hyper-V Connector Installation Guide)

    • Port 38864 must be used to connect to Accops HyWorks Hyper-v Connector Service from the HyWorks Controller.

  2. SCVMM Server:

    • Must be running a supported SCVMM Server; see the list of supported SCVMM versions above.

    • Accops HyWorks Hyper-V Connector must be installed on the SCVMM server in SCVMM mode, configured and reachable from the HyWorks Controller (Refer Accops HyWorks Hyper-V Connector Installation Guide)

  3. Preparing Microsoft Hyper-V or SCVMM Servers: For more details, click here.

Add Microsoft Hyper-V or SCVMM Server as the Connector

  1. Go to Settings > Configure > Connectors.

  2. Click Add.

  3. Select the Type as Microsoft Hyper-V/ SCVMM Server.

  4. Enter name.

  5. Enter the host address or IP address.

  6. Enter the RDP Port number on which the desktop virtual machines can be accessed remotely.

    1. When configuring connection settings for the HyWorks client, use the same port as specified in this document.

    2. The HyWorks Controller also checks the configured port for accessibility of the respective DVMs.

    3. This is not the port of the Session Provider but the port on which the hosted desktops will be reached.

  7. Select Active to activate the Session Provider. Desktops from inactive session providers are not considered while providing sessions to the end users.

  8. Click Test Connection to verify the configurations.

  9. Once the connection is successful, click Add.

The Session Provider should be added, and the HyWorks Controller will start synchronizing the data with the configured Hyper-V or SCVMM dedicated Session Provider. Once the synchronization is completed, the status of the Session Provider will change to Reachable. It means that the HyWorks Controller has successfully connected to the dedicated Session Provider and fetched all the desktop information.

The Administrator can now create dedicated desktop pools using desktops from the configured Hyper-V/ SCVMM dedicated Session Providers.

Adding VMware/vCenter Server as the Session Provider

VMware ESXi servers are independent hypervisors from VMware that can be used to host desktop virtual machines. In contrast, vCenter Server is used to manage multiple ESXi servers.

Prerequisites

  1. A supported version of the VMware/vCenter Server must be up and running.

    • Port 443 must be used to connect to VMware servers.

  2. Appropriate user credentials with adequate rights to VMware servers must be available.

    • The user must have the necessary rights to read all VM information and create, delete, and manage the resource pools.

    • If the configured user does not have sufficient privileges, the process of obtaining the desktop details, performing power operations, provisioning, etc., may fail.

  3. Preparing VMware ESXi or vCenter Servers: For more details, click here.

Add VMware/ vCenter Server as the Session Provider

  1. Go to Settings > Configure > Connectors.

  2. Click Add.

  3. Select the Type as VMware/ vCenter Server.

  4. Enter name.

  5. Enter the host address or IP address.

    1. The Controller automatically detects whether it is an independent ESXi server or a vCenter server.

  6. Enter the RDP port number on which the desktop virtual machines can be accessed remotely.

    1. While providing connection settings to the Client, HyWorks provides the same port as specified here.

    2. The HyWorks Controller also checks the configured port for accessibility of the respective DVMs.

    3. This is not the port of the Session Provider but the port on which the hosted desktops will be reached.

  7. Provide the user credentials to connect to the VMware server.

  8. Select Active to activate the Session Provider. Desktops from inactive session providers are not considered while providing the sessions to end users.

  9. Click Test Connection to verify the configurations.

  10. Once the connection is successful, click Add.

The Session Provider will be added, and the HyWorks Controller should start synchronizing data from the VMware/vCenter Server dedicated Session Provider. Once the synchronization is complete, the Session Provider status should change to Reachable.

The dedicated Session Provider of the type VMware is ready to provide dedicated desktop sessions to end users using existing or provisioned desktops.

Adding Nutanix AHV as the Session Provider

Nutanix AHV servers can be configured using the same steps as VMware, where the Prism central or Prism element can be configured.

Prerequisites

  1. A supported version of Nutanix Prism Central or Prism elements must be running and ready.

    • Port 9440 must be used to connect to Nutanix servers.

  2. Appropriate user credentials with adequate rights to Nutanix servers must be available.

    • The provided user must have the appropriate rights to read all VM information, create and delete resource pools, and have virtual machine rights.

    • If the configured user does not have sufficient privileges, the process of obtaining desktop details, performing power operations, provisioning, etc., may fail.

  3. Preparing Nutanix Servers: For more details, click here.

Adding Nutanix as the Connector:

Follow the steps listed below to add Nutanix as the dedicated Session Provider in HyWorks:

  1. Go to Settings > Configure > Connectors.

  2. Click Add.

  3. Select Type as Nutanix.

  4. Enter a Name.

  5. Enter the host address or IP address. The Controller can automatically detect whether it is an independent Nutanix Prism Central or Prism element.

  6. Enter the RDP Port number on which the desktop virtual machines can be accessed remotely.

    1. HyWorks provides the same port number as specified here when providing connection settings to the client.

    2. The HyWorks Controller also checks the configured port for accessibility of the respective DVMs.

    3. This is not the port for the Session Provider but rather the port on which the hosted desktops can be accessed.

  7. Provide user credentials to connect to the Nutanix server.

  8. Select Active to activate the Session Provider. Desktops from inactive session providers are not considered while providing the sessions to end users.

  9. Click Test Connection to verify the configurations.

  10. Once the connection is successful, click Add.

The Session Provider will be added, and the HyWorks Controller will start synchronizing data from the Nutanix Prism Central or Prism element dedicated Session Provider. Once the synchronization is completed, the Session Provider status will change to Reachable.

The Session Provider of type Nutanix is ready to provide dedicated desktop sessions to end users using existing or provisioned desktops.

Adding Microsoft Azure as a Connector

Microsoft Azure can be added as a Session Provider in HyWorks and used to serve desktops from Azure to end-users.

All functional capabilities with Microsoft Azure are listed in the Supported Provider Function Capabilities section.

To enlist at a higher level, HyWorks can support:

  • Delivery of existing desktops in an Azure subscription.

  • Provisioning persistent desktops in the Azure subscription.

Prerequisites:

Detailed steps for preparing Microsoft Azure as a connector in HyWorks are provided in the Prepare Microsoft Azure section.

Adding Microsoft Azure as a Connector

  1. Go to Configuration > Server > Session Providers.

  2. Click Add.

  3. Select Category as Session Provider.

  4. Select Type as Azure.

  5. Enter Name.

  6. Enter the RDP Port number on which the desktop virtual machines can be accessed remotely.

    1. HyWorks provides the same port as specified here when providing connection settings to the client.

    2. The HyWorks Controller also checks the configured port for accessibility of respective DVMs.

    3. Please note that this is not the port for the Session Provider but rather the port on which the hosted desktops can be accessed.

  7. Provide the following Azure portal details:

    1. Application ID

    2. Subscription ID

    3. Tenant ID

    4. Secret

  8. Select the Active checkbox to activate the Session Provider. Desktops from inactive Session Providers are not considered when providing sessions to end users.

  9. Click Test Connection to test the accessibility of Azure from HyWorks.

  10. Click Save.

HyWorks should start synchronizing available desktop details from Azure. Once the synchronization is complete, the status of the Session Provider should change to Reachable.

The Session Provider of type Azure should be prepared to provide dedicated desktop sessions to end-users using existing or provisioned desktops.

Adding AWS as a Connector

HyWorks v3.4 features significant improvements, including built-in cloud integration. AWS can be added as a Session Provider and used to serve desktops to end-users from AWS.

All functional capabilities with Microsoft AWS are listed in the Supported Provider Function Capabilities section. To enlist at a higher level, HyWorks can support:

  • Delivery of existing desktops in an AWS subscription.

  • Provisioning of the persistent desktops in the AWS subscription.

Prerequisites:

  1. The HyWorks Controller has a direct connection to the Microsoft Azure Portal: https://console.AWS.amazon.com/.

  2. Detailed steps for preparing AWS as a connector in HyWorks are provided in the Prepare AWS section.

Adding AWS as a Connector

  1. Go to Settings > Configure > Connectors.

  2. Click Add.

  3. Select Type as AWS.

  4. Enter Name.

  5. Provide the following AWS portal details:

    1. AWS Account Id

    2. AWS Secret Key

    3. AWS Access Id

    4. Region

  6. Select the Active checkbox to activate the Session Provider. Desktops from inactive Session Providers are not considered when providing sessions to the end users.

  7. Click Test Connection to test the accessibility of Azure from HyWorks.

  8. Click Save.

HyWorks will start synchronizing available desktop details from Azure. Once the synchronization is complete, the status of the Session Provider will change to Reachable.

The Session Provider of type Azure is ready to provide dedicated desktop sessions to end users using existing or provisioned desktops.

Adding Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)

Prerequisites and OCI Preparation:

Detailed steps for preparing OCI as a connector in HyWorks are provided in the Prepare Oracle section.

Steps to add OCI as a Connector:

Follow the below steps to add OCI as a connector in HyWorks for desktop deliveries:

  1. Go to Settings > Configure > Connectors.

  2. Click Add.

  3. Select Type as Oracle.

  4. Enter Name.

  5. Provide the following Oracle connector details:

    1. Oracle Account ID.

    2. Oracle Secret Key.

    3. Oracle Tenant ID.

    4. Attach provider PEM file.

    5. Select the appropriate region.

  6. Select the Active checkbox to activate the Session Provider. Desktops from inactive Session Providers are not considered when providing sessions to end users.

  7. Click Test Connection to test the accessibility of OCI from HyWorks.

  8. Click Save.

HyWorks should start synchronizing available desktop details from OCI. Once the synchronization is complete, the status of the Session Provider should change to Reachable.

Configuring Physical Desktops in HyWorks

HyWorks supports deliveries of physical desktops.

Physical desktops can be defined as desktop systems running on physical hardware or as virtual machines on the hypervisors that are not directly supported in HyWorks.

Add Physical Desktops in HyWorks

Step# 1: Create a Session Provider of type Physical PC

  1. Log in to the HyWorks Management Console with administrative privileges.

  2. Go to Settings > Configure > Connectors.

  3. Click Add.

  4. Type as Physical PC.

  5. Enter Name.

  6. Enter the RDP Port number on which the desktop virtual machines can be accessed remotely.

    • When providing connection settings to the client, HyWorks provides the same port as specified here.

  7. The HyWorks controller also verifies the accessibility of the configured port to the respective PCs.

    • Please note this is not the port of the Session Provider but the port on which the Physical PC will be reached.

  8. Select Active to activate the Session Provider. Desktops from inactive Session Providers are not considered when providing the sessions to end users.

  9. Click Add.

The physical PC desktop provider should be added and can be used to add desktops.

Step# 2: Add physical desktops to the Physical PC provider

Physical Desktops can be added, updated, or deleted in the Physical PC provider by importing a CSV file. To import a CSV of the physical desktops, follow the steps listed below:

  1. Go to Settings > Configure > Connectors.

  2. Click the Physical PC Template to download the CSV template from HyWorks. A zipped file will be downloaded with the CSV template and instructions. The CSV file uses the following fields:

    • Add/Update: Accepts numeric values of 1 or 0. A value of 1 indicates an add/update operation and a value of 0 indicates a delete operation for the record.

  3. Desktop ID: A unique alphanumeric identifier for the desktop name to be added.

  4. Host Address: IP/host address of the desktop to be provided.

Example CSV:

> Add/Update, Desktop ID, Host Address <br>
> 1,test001,test001.accops.com <br>
> 1,test002,test002.accops.com <br>
> 1,test003,test003.accops.com <br>
> 1,test004,172.23.56.89

  1. Create a CSV file with desktop entries added as per the example provided above.

  2. Select Physical PC desktop provider, added in step #1.

  3. Click Import Physical PC.

  4. Select an appropriate format for the CSV.

  5. Browse and select the CSV file.

  6. Click Save to import all records.

Desktops should be added to the Physical PC provider, and the count should be updated accordingly. These desktops should be ready for use in HyWorks.

Managing Added Physical Desktops: Update/Delete Desktop Details in a Physical PC Provider

To update/delete desktop entry from a Physical PC provider, follow the steps listed below:

  1. Select the Physical PC provider from the list of added servers.

  2. Click the Export Physical PC.

  3. Select an appropriate format for the CSV to be downloaded.

  4. Click Export to download details of all desktops added to the selected Physical PC provider.

  5. Update CSV as per requirement.

    1. To update an existing record:

      1. Keep the Add/Update Column value as 1.

      2. Keep the Desktop ID the same as before and update the Host Address value.

    2. To delete an existing record:

      1. Update the Add/Update column value as 0.

      2. Keep the rest of the columns unchanged.

  6. Example CSV: (This will delete desktop test002 and modify the host address to test004.)

    Add/Update,Desktop ID,Host Address 1,test001,test001.accops.com 0,test002,test002.accops.com 1,test003,test003.accops.com 1,test004,172.23.56.34

  7. Select the Physical PC desktop provider that was added in step #1.

  8. Click Import Physical PCs.

  9. Select an appropriate format for the CSV.

  10. Browse and select the CSV file.

  11. Click Save to import all records.

All records will be modified according to the new CSV file.

Delete a Session Provider

A Session Provider can be deleted if it is no longer needed in the HyWorks Controller configuration.

  1. Select the Session Provider to be deleted and click Delete.

  2. The Confirm Action dialog will be displayed stating the consequences of deleting the Session Provider.

  3. Confirm by clicking Delete.

The Session Provider should be deleted from the HyWorks configuration. Please note that Session Providers cannot be deleted if a Provisioned pool is associated with the Session Provider and exists in HyWorks.

Impact of Deleting a Session Provider

Deleting a Session Provider can have the following consequences:

  • Deleting a Session Provider may result in the deletion of all associated data, including Desktop Pools, desktops, and assignments from HyWorks. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to exercise caution when deleting a Session Provider. A running session may not be disconnected on the Client end but will be removed from the Controller.

  • Upon deletion of the Session Provider, HyWorks does not delete any desktop VMs configured for it. Any residual desktop VMs must be manually cleaned up, or any desktop pools or desktops associated with them should be deleted before deleting the Session Provider.

Modify Session Provider

The Administrator can modify a configured Session Provider. However, it is essential to understand what information can be updated and what could be the impact of updating an existing Session Provider:

Modifiable Fields and Impact

Editing an existing Session Provider enables the following fields for modifications:

  • Name

  • Host Address: A critical field that should be updated only when the same server has been migrated to a different IP address or hostname. Using this information, the HyWorks Controller retrieves data on desktops, assignments, and other relevant details.

    If, for any reason, the same server is not available at the same host address, the existing configuration may become corrupted. The Administrator needs to be cautious when updating the host address field.

  • Username and Password (In case of a Session Provider - VMware/ vCenter Server or Nutanix): Critical field and should be updated only when the new user has appropriate privileges on VMware/vCenter Server, Nutanix. If it is updated by a user with insufficient privileges, it may result in an ambiguous configuration.

  • Active: Critical, as specified in the configuration of each type of Session Provider. Not selecting the Active checkbox will mark the Session Provider as inactive and will be ignored when fetching Desktop information for the Client. The Administrator needs to be cautious when marking any Session Provider as inactive as all associated clients will stop receiving Desktops.

  • Secret: Critical (applicable for Microsoft Azure). Only those credentials should be used for updates that have the same privileges as the previous user. Providing an invalid secret can result in disconnection from the Azure portal and failure to deliver Desktops.

How to modify Session Provider

  1. Select the Session Provider to be modified.

  2. Click Edit.

  3. In the Edit Session Provider dialog update the fields as per your requirement and click Update.

Changes should be saved, and the user's sessions will be given from the new Session Host Servers.

Update Session Provider to Update the Desktop Provider Cache

The HyWorks Controller retains the desktop details in memory and refreshes this information every hour.

In some cases, if the details need to be updated immediately, updating the Session Provider without changing any configuration can help.

The operation of updating the Session Provider without modifying the information re-establishes the connection with the Session Provider and re-synchronizes the data.

Periodic Updates:

Desktops cache for all configured Session Providers (e.g., VMware ESXi/vCenter Server, Microsoft Hyper-V/SCVMM Server, Azure, or Nutanix) is updated by default every 60 minutes.

This periodic update of the Desktops cache helps to maintain the most recent list of available Desktops from the Session Provider.

Marking the Session Provider as Inactive

In instances when the Session Provider is not in use or is under maintenance, the Administrator can mark the Session Provider as inactive.

When a Session Provider is marked as inactive:

  1. HyWorks does not sync or communicate with this provider for updating any desktop details.

  2. HyWorks will not process any desktop connections from the inactive Session Provider.

Session Provider Section Status in Setup Menu

The status of each configured Session Provider determines the overall status of the Session Provider section.

The following possible values may appear:

  • Not configured: Indicates No Session Provider is configured (Color: Yellow).

  • Need attention: Indicates one of the configured Session Providers is unreachable (Color: Red).

  • Configured: Indicates all the Session Providers are reachable (Color: Green).

If the status of the Session Provider becomes unreachable after configuration, the status of the Session Providers section will be marked as needing attention.

Advance Configurations

  1. Direct RDP/Console Block
  2. External log Settings
  3. Session change event scripts support
  4. Allow calls from the authorized controller(s) only

Refer to the Advanced Configuration for Desktop Provider section for Session Provider-related settings.