Desktop and Application Streaming solutions provide the "last mile” between users and their applications and data. In this session, we will review the elements and benefits of the layered desktop image, application dependencies, and lifecycle management of desktops. Liquidware Labs, a APN partner, will showcase their toolset that helps customers deploy on AWS with ease. This deep dive on desktop image management for Amazon WorkSpaces will focus on enterprise organizations migrating to the cloud and will benefit engineers and system administrators that are new to this space as well as experienced architects with existing deployments on AWS.

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AWS re:INVENT
G PS: Image Management Best Practi ces for
Amazon WorkSpaces
J u s t i n B r a d l e y – S p e c i a l i z e d S o l u t i o n s A r c h i t e c t - E U C
A n d r e w K l o m a n - P a r t n e r S o l u t i o n s A r c h i t e c t - E U C
R a y D u s s e a u l t – D i r e c t o r o f C l o u d a n d A p p l i c a t i o n S t r a t e g y -
L i q u i d w a r e
N o v e m b e r 2 7 , 2 0 1 7
G P S T E C 3 1 6

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What to Expect from the Session
• Bundles
• Images
• Custom images
• Application deployment through decoupling
• Partner Solutions
What are we covering…
• Amazon WorkSpaces basics and infrastructure setup*
What aren’t we covering
*Amazon WorkSpaces at re:Invent 2016: https://aws.amazon.com/workspaces/resources/#reinvent

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It’s All About the Bundle

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WorkSpaces Bundle Basics
AMI + compute resources + apps = bundle
• Amazon Machine Images (AMI) provide the desktop
operating system
• WorkSpaces uses the EC2 compute virtualization
platform as the base
• Applications are optional as needed

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Some WorkSpaces Fundamentals
Hard drive structure of workspace
• Each Workspace comes with two drives.
• The drive sizes are fixed at creation and cannot at this time be
resized.
• C: drive contains the system image and is currently fixed at 80GB.
This drive is only used for operating system, no user data is
stored on this drive.
• D: drive is the user data drive. All user data is redirected to this
drive using policies and redirection.
• D: drive size is set by the bundle selection, Value 10GB, Standard
50GB, Performance 100GB
• D: drive snapshot taken automatically every 12 hours.

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Create Your Base Image
Make sure you pick the right tool for the job
• Choose the base AMI
• Select the desired EC2 compute sizing
• Applications are optional as needed

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Good Imaging Etiquette
Some steps when you think it’s just right
• Reboot the workspace
• Update and patch
• Clean out files
• Clean browser stored data
• Remove unnecessary features
• Reboot again and shut down
• DO NOT RUN Sysprep, DISM, Windiff or other OS Prep Tools

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Personas
How many users will you need over time?
What applications are being used by your users?
What resources does your user application require?
Do your users require special peripherals?
What security limitations are required?
Where are your user groups located geographically?
How long do the users plan on accessing the
environment?

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Lifecycle Management
Managing bundles and images over long lifecycles

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Operating Systems Need Updates
An image once deployed needs to be updated to maintain stability and security
• Manage and regulate updates; don’t let them come from the internet
• Discover customer usage patterns
• Understand security requirements
• Use Microsoft Update by default
• Use manged tools, WSUS, etc.
• Test before deployment
• Application dependencies

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A Simple Process…
Master Image Bundle Deploy Update Refresh
WorkSpaces
Create New
Image

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Regular Refresh or Continuous Update?
Do you refresh or continuously update?
• Continuous updates can lead to bloat and instability
• You can introduce a rebuild and refresh cycle
• Continuously look to streamline
• How often the process should run
• Perform clean-up on the base images and workspaces
• Minimize number of images to minimize effort

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You Need An Image Factory
injection
imaging
• Package
• Catalog
• Deploy
• Image

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Application Deployment
Getting applications to the users

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Image management
App 1
Guest OS
App 2
App 1
Guest OS
and some
application
App 2
Guest
OS and
applications
Zero
Core OS only with software
distribution agents
Thin
Zero + light footprint of manually
installed software
Baked
Image with all software manually
installed and managed

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Do You Install or Deliver?
Installing is simpler but reduces adaptability
Delivering is more efficient and agile

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Decouple
Separate the apps from the OS
User data
User profile
Application
Guest OS

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Tools for App Management
It’s not just delivery
• Tight License Control
• Usage Analytics
• Centralized management
• Application publishing
• Portability & Recovery

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Problem Apps
Some apps just don’t play nice

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User Data & Profiles Can Be Complex or
Simple
• Where do users store data?
• Shared drives, mapped drives or
removable devices provided (Amazon
WorkDocs)
• Where is user profile data stored?
• Profile data collated using tools to
capture settings if applicable to new
environment

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So Many Choices
Amazon
AppStream 2.0
vmware
ThinApp Microsoft
App-V
marketplace

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Ray Dusseault – Director of Cloud and Application Strategy -
Liquidware

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Stratusphere UX Overview
Appliance model hosted ON
PREM or within the
customers AWS environment
Windows Endpoint ON PREM
or in AWS Workspaces
Collector ID (Agent)
installed on endpoints
Desktop and Application
Performance, environmental
and User Experience data
collected and analyzed within
the UX appliance
Process
Optimizer

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Stratusphere UX
Depending on the applications being executed within the desktop
resource you will need to consider the characteristics required
Monitor environment and scale out/in resources
Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3
50 65 130
Stratusphere UX

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ProfileUnity: Profile portability
Public Cloud Hosted User EndpointPrivate Enterprise User Endpoint
ProfileUnity can be centrally
managed to support and migrate
User profiles and data across
traditional VDI platforms as well
as Private and Public Cloud
Hosted DaaS
Traditional Profile
Unity Migration
ProfileDisk ContainerProfileDisk
Container
Traditional Profile
Unity Migration
ProfileDisk ContainerProfileDisk
Container
Traditional
VDI platforms

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This capture
results in the
creation of
the individual
FlexApp Layers
Unlike some
technologies,
the applications
are not actually
installed within the
corresponding OS
The FlexApp Layer is attached to
the endpoint just as puzzle pieces
are connected together
Filter drivers control the connection
between the FlexApp Layer and the
OS; much like a traffic cop
At removal, the FlexApp Layer is
detached from the endpoint just
as puzzle pieces are separated
Application installs can be redirected
to virtual disks in the form of VHD’s
or VMDK’s
Therefore the filter drivers within
FlexApp Layering technology allow for
the clean removal of the FlexApp Layers
Liquidware—FlexApp
Think of the
Windows OS
as a puzzle piece

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Amazon Workspace infrastructurePrivate Enterprise infrastructure
FlexApp lifecycle management
FlexApp can be centrally
managed to support any
traditional VDI platforms,
Private Cloud as well as
Amazon Workspaces
FlexApp Layers replicated
and maintained across
Private and Amazon
Workspaces infrastructure
FlexApp
Layers
FlexApp
Layers
Traditional
VDI platforms

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Windows 10
User connects to the new
Windows 10 desktop session
Once again the users profile has
followed them to this session
FlexApp Layers are attached
to the Users windows session
ProfileUnity and FlexApp
have simplified and
optimized the profile and
application management
workflow for users!!!
ProfileUnity and FlexApp working together

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What’s next….
Bypass the need for CIFS
Cloud storage has HA capability by default
Ability to replicate Portable FlexApp Layers
and ProfileUnity Profiles across regions
Cloud Storage from Amazon
Traditional Microsoft CIFS storage
FlexApp Layers
Traditional ProfileUnity
Migration
FlexApp Layers
Amazon S3
Traditional ProfileUnity
Migration

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How is Liquidware Helping AWS customers?
• Pre Sales and POC assistance
• “Services Catalog” Guidance and Best Practices
• Environmental Profiling Assessments
• Bundle/Tiering Assessments
• Healthchecks
• Application Strategy Assessments
• User Profile and data Migrations

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What’s your story?

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WorkSpaces
WorkSpaces Product Detail Page
Best Practices for Deploying Amazon
WorkSpaces
AppStream2.0
Resources
FAQs
Liquidware
http://www.liquidware.com/
Profile Unity
http://www.liquidware.com/prod
ucts/profileunity
FlexApps
http://www.liquidware.com/prod
ucts/flexapp
Resources
Come visit
Liquidware at the LG
booth #2040

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Thank you!