Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure – Multi-Pod Images

In this quick walkthrough we're going give you an overview of Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure Multi-Pod Images

Overview

• Log in to TestDrive Portal
• Launch the Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure Universal Console from the Digital Workspace section of My Products in the portal
• Login to the console and explore the Multi-Pod Images

Before You Begin

In order to access the Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure Universal Console please ensure you have the following:

• A valid account in the VMware TestDrive environment, sign up here  if you don't yet have an account
• Activated Horizon Cloud for your account at portal.vmtestdrive.com
• Latest Horizon Clients installed, available via direct download here

OK let's go, open your favorite web browser and navigate to the TestDrive Portal at  https://portal.vmtestdrive.com

Once you've logged in, select Digital Workspace under My Products. Then scroll down to Horizon Cloud and click Launch.

On the pop up menu under Microsoft Azure, click Admin Console

You will be directed to the VMware Cloud Services login page. You will first need to login with a My VMware account. DO NOT use your own My VMware account!

Enter the credentials for the [email protected]  account using the password found in the TestDrive Portal > Digital Workspace > Horizon Cloud product tile expanded.

On the next screen, for Active Directory credentials, enter your own TestDrive credentials, making sure the domain is set to VMWTD

Once logged in you will land on the Dashboard page. The Dashboard displays the current Health status of the deployment, current Utilization, Sessions, and Connection Statistics.

Expand the Inventory menu

Multi-pod images introduce new image management capabilities to simplify change tracking and pool updates at scale across all cloud connected Horizon Cloud on Azure subscription pods, and Horizon Enterprise on premises sites with minimal human error.

The multi-pod image landing page lists all images (sometimes referred to as “channels” or “streams”).

Each channel has one or more image versions - allowing different pools to be on different versions based on need and risk profile

We see the image has 5 versions each with its own marker (Through versions can have more than one marker)

• 2.0 - is currently under development and has not been published yet
• 1.3 - is currently being tested by engineering before it goes to UAT
• 1.2 - next months’ update – currently in use by any pools following the “UAT” marker
• 1.1- current up to date patched version – currently in use by any pools following the “production wave 1” marker
• 1.0- a legacy version which requires updates. – currently in use by any pools following the “production wave 2” marker

Each version will have one or more image copies - one copy for selected target pod.

You can see its versions, source history, copies and pools that are using it.

New image versions allow you to designate major and minor changes and keeps track of source versions for easier troubleshooting and historical change review

The Pool to image mapping is done via the new Marker system - providing you a single command to update fleets of pools across your whole enterprise consistently and accurately.

You move a marker by selecting the target version, clicking Edit version, and then picking or typing the marker you want to move

Moving a marker instructs any pool following that marker to update to the new version associated with that marker.

This allows you to promote and roll back image versions.

Having multiple markers allows you to control precisely which pools change to a new version when a marker is moved.

When publishing,

• You can pick which pod images are available on.
• You can customize agent features on a per version level
• All image copies are kept on customer owned resources

Pools – rather than pointing to a specific image object, will now reference an image and a marker combination.

This wraps up the Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure on Microsoft Azure – Multi-Pod Images Walkthrough in TestDrive.

Let's have a quick recap of what happened!