Features and Enhancements in HyWorks v4.1

This release notes section highlights the new features and improvements introduced in HyWorks v4.1.

HyWorks Enhancements and Features

Installation: New Options to Install Accops Hypervisor Manager and Accops HyWorks API Services

HyWorks v4.1 introduces new modules. To support these, the installer wizard now provides options to install the following additional components:

1. Accops Hypervisor Manager Service: A new service responsible for managing hypervisors independently, helping reduce the load and cost of the management server. Currently supports Hyper-V servers and clusters.

2. Accops HyWorks API Service: Enables integration of HyWorks with third-party applications, allowing HyWorks features to be extended and consumed within external applications.

New Connector Integrations: Red Hat OpenShift, HPE VM Essentials, and Accops Hypervisor Manager (AHM)

HyWorks v4.1 introduces major new connector integrations, further strengthening the platform’s connector-agnostic architecture. This enhancement enables HyWorks deployments across a wider range of on-premises and cloud virtualization platforms.

Red Hat OpenShift

Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization enables organizations to run and manage traditional virtual machines alongside containerized workloads on a unified hybrid cloud platform. It helps bridge legacy infrastructure with Kubernetes-native workflows, simplifying operations and reducing costs. Refer to the official Red Hat OpenShift webpage for more information.

HyWorks v4.1 introduces the OpenShift connector, enabling administrators to fully leverage OpenShift's virtualization capabilities.

In this release, most HyWorks features are supported, including provisioning, capacity planning, automated power management, and scheduled actions. HyLabs support will be considered in upcoming releases.

HPE VM Essentials

HPE VM Essentials (VME) is a modern, KVM-based enterprise-grade Type-1 hypervisor designed as a cost-effective alternative to VMware. It provides unified VM management, high availability, and supports multi-hypervisor environments. Refer to the official HPE website for detailed information.

HyWorks v4.1 introduces an HPE VM Essentials connector that enables administrators to utilize HPE VM Essentials virtualization capabilities fully.

In this release, most HyWorks features are supported, including provisioning, capacity planning, automated power management, and scheduled actions. HyLabs support will be considered in upcoming releases.

Accops Hypervisor Manager (AHM)

Accops Hypervisor Manager (AHM) is a lightweight and cost-effective alternative to traditional hypervisor or cluster management servers. It provides a centralized management layer specifically designed for integration with HyWorks.

HyWorks v4.1 Scope

• Target Virtualization Environment: Microsoft Hyper-V (Windows Server 2019, 2022, and 2025 with Desktop Experience) and Microsoft Hyper-V clusters.

• Integration: Acts as the primary interface for HyWorks.

Components:

1. AHM Controller (Core Service)

   • Exposes RESTful APIs for external management (HyWorks).

   • Manages business logic, state aggregation, and task orchestration.

2. Hyper-V Connector Service (Existing)

   • Responsible for direct communication with Hyper-V hosts.

   • Executes commands via Synchronous PowerShell and WMI.

   • Manages operations (e.g., Cloning) to handle long-running tasks synchronously from the controller's perspective.

High-level Feature Matrix of Newly Integrated Providers (AHM, HPE VME, OpenShift)

Feature	Sub Feature	Sub Feature	Accops	HP	Red Hat
			AHM (Accops Hypervisor Manager)	HPE	OpenShift
VM Details	OS Information	-
	Network Adapters/ IP Addresses	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Hostname	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
Desktop pool with existing VMs	Using Non-provisioned VMs	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
Desktop VM Provisioning	Clone Type: Linked/Full/Shadow	-	Full Clone	Full Clone	Full Clone
	Automatic Distribution of VMs as per load	Best Host selection	Yes	No	No
		Multi-Datastore and Best Storage Selection based on size	No	No	No
	Clone from Snapshot/ Checkpoint	Feature Support	Yes	No	Yes
		Create Snapshot from Management Console	No	No	Yes
	Disk persistence	Persistent	Yes	Yes	Yes
		Non-persistent (Create/ Delete VM Restore point on User Logoff)	Yes	Yes	Yes
	VM Profile (v3.6+)	Deployment Location & Hardware Specifications	No	No	No
	Recompose	Preserve Network/ MAC Address	No	No	Yes
		Graceful/ Selective Recompose	Yes	Only Forceful	Yes
		Override server defaults of VM distribution	No	No	No
	SHD Provisioning	Automatic Deployment of Session Teams	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Capacity planning (Automatic deployment and power management)	Multi-session or shared hosted desktops	Yes	Yes	Yes
		Dedicated/ Single-session Desktop [v3.6-SP2]	Yes	Yes	Yes
		Schedule Action support	Yes	Yes	Yes
Desktop Power Operations	-	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
Desktop Access Mechanisms	Remote Desktop	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Console Connect	-	Yes	No	No
HyLabs support	Scheduled Provisioning and Delivery	-	No	No	No
HyLabs (Additional Features)	Create/ Delete Resource Pools	-	No	No	No
Virtual IP (Session host IP virtualization)	Adding an IP Address to a network adapter	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
vTPM Support	Feature Support (Cloning the vTPM-Enabled Machines)	-	No	Yes	No
	vTPM Aware Cloning (Selecting the best host based on vTPM support)	-	No	No	No
OS Support on Provider	Windows Desktops: Windows 10, 11	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Windows Servers: Windows 2016/2019/2022/2025	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Linux Desktops: Ubuntu/ xUbuntu 22/24	-	Yes	No	Yes
	Linux Desktops: RHEL 9.4	-	Yes	No	yes

Full Feature Comparison

Click here to get the full comparison of the feature support with local datacenter hypervisors.

Enhanced VM Availability Status on the Desktops Page

HyWorks v4.1 introduces major improvements to the Desktops page to display virtual machine availability accurately. Previously, allocation depended on multiple factors (VM power state, agent status, customization, etc.) that were not fully reflected in the management console.

The Connection column has been renamed to Usability and Connection Status. It now clearly indicates whether a VM is healthy and whether it is free, assigned, or currently connected.

Status is represented using colors and icons:

• Green: Healthy

• Red: Error conditions

• Orange: Operations in progress

Administrators can now filter desktops based on their current status.

HyWorks API Service Integration

As mentioned in the installer changes, HyWorks v4.1 introduces enhanced API integration support for third-party applications, enabling direct use of HyWorks and HyLabs features.

Authentication and Authorization

• Both HyWorks and HyLabs APIs use a self-issued, JWT-based authentication model.

Service Registration

• Every consuming service must be registered in the HyWorks Management Console before accessing the API.

• Navigate to: HyWorks Controller Management Console > Settings > General > API Clients

Port Requirement

• 38902

API Examples

• Create a basic reservation

  POST /api/v1/hylabs/organizations/{organizationId}/reservations/basic

• Get course reservation details

  GET /api/v1/hylabs/organizations/{organizationId}/reservations/{reservationId}

• Add reservation participants

  POST /api/v1/hylabs/organizations/{organizationId}/reservations/{reservationId}/participants

Detailed API specifications will be published in the documentation soon.

Non-Persistent and Snapshot-Based Provisioning with Hyper-V Connector

HyWorks v4.1 enhances provisioning capabilities for Hyper-V with the following features:

1. Clone from Snapshot: Administrators can deploy new VMs from specific snapshots of a source VM. This enables cloning from a known VM state and reduces the number of required gold master VMs.

2. Non-Persistent Desktop Pools: Previously supported only with SCVMM, this feature is now extended to Hyper-V.

3. Preserve MAC Address During Recompose: MAC address preservation is now supported for Hyper-V. During recompose, HyWorks reuses the existing MAC address, allowing VMs to retain their previous IP addresses.

Categorization of Connectors

As the list of connector types has grown, connectors are now grouped into two categories for easier configuration:

• Cloud Services

• On-premise Virtualization

More Deployment Information on HyLabs Dashboard

The HyLabs dashboard now provides the following deployment metrics:

Virtual Machines

1. Total VMs — Total number of VMs deployed from HyLabs

2. Total Active VMs — Number of powered-on VMs

3. Active VMs (Course) — Powered-on VMs for Course reservations

4. Active VMs (Course Self-Study) — Powered-on VMs for Course SS reservations

5. Active VMs (Self-Study) — Powered-on VMs for Self-Study reservations

Gold Masters

1. Total Gold Masters — Total configured gold masters

2. Gold Masters (Course) — Gold masters for Course / Course Default

3. Gold Masters (SS) — Gold masters for Self-Study

4. Gold Masters (Incharge) — Gold masters for Incharge

Reservations

1. Total Reservations — Total configured reservations

2. Reservations (Course) — Course reservations

3. Reservations (Course Self-Study) — CSS reservations

4. Reservations (Self-Study) — Self-Study reservations