This topic describes how to create cloud computers in the Elastic Desktop Service (EDS) console.
Preparations
You can choose to make the following preparations to expedite the process of creating cloud computers. These preparations are optional.
Create a cloud computer template. A cloud computer template specifies all the required resources, allowing you to efficiently create cloud computers. For more information, see Create and manage custom templates. If you do not want to create a cloud computer template, you can use a system template instead.
Create end user accounts to which cloud computers are assigned. After cloud computer assignment is complete, end users can use these accounts to log on to Alibaba Cloud Workspace terminals. You can also create cloud computers before you create end user accounts.
The convenience account system is dedicated to Elastic Desktop Service (Enterprise Edition) and is suitable for non-Active Directory (AD) scenarios. Users that are created based on the convenience account system are convenience users. Administrators can create and manage convenience users in the Elastic Desktop Service (Enterprise Edition) console.
Create and manage enterprise AD accounts
The enterprise AD account system is suitable for AD scenarios. That is, Elastic Desktop Service (Enterprise Edition) uses AD connectors to connect to enterprise AD systems and AD domain controllers to manage user permissions and resources in a centralized manner. Users that are created based on the enterprise AD account systems are AD users.
Create an office network to accommodate cloud computers and configure relevant settings. If you do not want to create an office network, the system provides a default office network.
Creates a cloud computer policy. A cloud computer policy is a set of rules that controls cloud computer capabilities and security. This policy can impact user experience and behavior. An administrator can control and manage cloud computers by creating a custom policy and applying it to the cloud computers. The administrator only needs to update the policy when the control and management requirements change. For more information, see Policy configurations. If you do not want to create a custom policy, you can use the default policy provided by EDS.
Purchase cloud computers on the Quick Purchase tab
The following section describes how to purchase cloud computers on the Quick Purchase tab, which streamlines the creation process. This method is suitable for general customers with no special requirements.
Log on to the EDS Enterprise console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
On the Cloud Computers page of the EDS Enterprise console, click Create Cloud Computer.
Click the Quick Purchase tab and configure parameters based on your business requirements. The following table describes the parameters.
Parameter
Description
Region
The region in which you want to purchase cloud computers. For the best performance, we recommend that you choose a region that is near your business to decrease latency.
NoteAfter you purchase cloud computers, you cannot change their region. Be careful when making your decision.
OS
The operating system of cloud computers. You can select Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022, or Ubuntu 20.04.
Type
The computing resources of cloud computers. In the lower part of this parameter, you can find on-screen information about the intended users, applicable scenarios, and inapplicable scenarios to help you choose the best type.
NoteIf the available specifications do not meet your business requirements, you can switch to the Custom Purchase tab to proceed.
Billing Method
The billing method of cloud computers.
Monthly Subscription
Pay-as-you-go
Computing Plan
If you set the Billing Method parameter to Monthly Subscription, you must select one of the following computing plans:
120 Hours/Month
250 Hours/Month
Unlimited
NoteIf you select the 120 Hours/Month or 250 Hours/Month plan, take note of the following items:
These plans do not support cloud computers of the Graphics Workstation type.
The hours of a plan represent the amount of time a cloud computer is in service each month. Any unused running hours at the end of the month do not carry over to the next month.
If the monthly running hours of a cloud computer are used up before the end of the month, the cloud computer continues to run and generates extra fees. If you want the cloud computer to stop running upon hour exhaustion, select When the monthly running hours of a cloud computer are exhausted in advance, the system automatically stops or hibernates the cloud computer....
If you use a cloud computer beyond the allotted time, you will be charged based on the hourly price of your chosen plan. The price listed on the purchase page will be the final amount charged. Cloud computers have a fee limit. If the fees generated within a month reach the amount of the Unlimited plan, no more fees are generated. Essentially, the price of the Unlimited plan is the maximum monthly fee for all other plans. Make sure that your account balance is sufficient.
After cloud computers are purchased, they automatically start. If end users do not connect to them within 10 minutes, the cloud computers stop or hibernate to avoid consuming running hours. You can adjust the scheduled tasks or policies of cloud computers. For more information, see Configure scheduled tasks and Configure a scheduled policy for a cloud computer.
Storage Capacity
The capacities of the system disks and data disks used by cloud computers.
Duration
The subscription duration. If you set the Billing Method parameter to Monthly Subscription, you must specify a subscription duration.
Public Bandwidth
Cloud computers cannot access the Internet over the networks of local devices. By default, each cloud computer has basic bandwidth, which is free of charge. End users can access the Internet from cloud computers.
ImportantThe peak bandwidth only indicates the upper bandwidth limit and is for reference only. The peak bandwidth may vary based on usage scenarios. In scenarios in which demand exceeds resource supplies, the bandwidth may be lower than the specified value.
(Optional) Assign User
You can assign cloud computers to users either during or after their creation.
You can assign cloud computers to new or existing users by following the on-screen instructions.
NoteOn the Quick Purchase tab, you can only assign a cloud computer to one user. To assign a cloud computer to additional users, you can do so after completing the purchase process or by switching to the Custom Purchase tab.
Service Agreement
The service agreement. You need to select Read and agree to Product Terms of Service.
Quantity
The number of cloud computers you want to purchase.
Confirm the configurations and fees, and click Buy Now.
(Conditional) Promptly make the payment if your cloud computers are billed on a monthly basis.
Purchase cloud computers on the Custom Purchase tab
The Custom Purchase tab allows you to personalize cloud computers to fit your specific business requirements. This tab offers more flexibility than the Quick Purchase tab. When creating cloud computers, you can personalize settings such as the cloud environment, template types, networks, security policies, and tags.
Log on to the EDS Enterprise console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
On the Cloud Computers page of the EDS Enterprise console, click Create Cloud Computer.
On the Custom Purchase tab, configure parameters based on your business requirements. The following table describes the parameters.
Parameter
Description
Import Template
Template
A cloud computer template specifies all the required resources, allowing you to efficiently create cloud computers. You can select a system template or a custom template based on your business requirements.
Configure Cloud Environment
Region
The region in which you want to purchase cloud computers. For the best performance, we recommend that you choose a region that is near your business to decrease latency.
NoteAfter you purchase cloud computers, you cannot change their region. Be careful when making your decision.
Office Network
Select an office network.
You can select an existing office network or create a new one by following the on-screen instructions.
NoteAfter you create an office network, click the icon on the right side of the Office Network drop-down list to update the office network list.
Configure Cloud Computer
Type
The computing resources of cloud computers. If you click Specification Details, you can find on-screen information about the intended users, applicable scenarios, and inapplicable scenarios to help you choose the best type.
OS
The operating system of cloud computers.
If you click System Image, you can select Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Ubuntu 20.04, or Ubuntu 22.04. In addition, you must configure the OS Language parameter.
If you click Custom Image, Shared Image, or Community Image, directly select the image you want to use. You can search for the desired image by OS or image ID.
Billing Method
The billing method of cloud computers.
Monthly Subscription
Pay-as-you-go
Computing Plan
If you set the Billing Method parameter to Monthly Subscription, you must select one of the following computing plans:
120 Hours/Month
250 Hours/Month
Unlimited
NoteIf you select the 120 Hours/Month or 250 Hours/Month plan, take note of the following items:
These plans do not support cloud computers of the Graphics Workstation type.
The hours of a plan represent the amount of time a cloud computer is in service each month. Any unused running hours at the end of the month do not carry over to the next month.
If the monthly running hours of a cloud computer are used up before the end of the month, the cloud computer continues to run and generates extra fees. If you want the cloud computer to stop running upon hour exhaustion, select When the monthly running hours of a cloud computer are exhausted in advance, the system automatically stops or hibernates the cloud computer....
If you use a cloud computer beyond the allotted time, you will be charged based on the hourly price of your chosen plan. The price listed on the purchase page will be the final amount charged. Cloud computers have a fee limit. If the fees generated within a month reach the amount of the Unlimited plan, no more fees are generated. Essentially, the price of the Unlimited plan is the maximum monthly fee for all other plans. Make sure that your account balance is sufficient.
After cloud computers are purchased, they automatically start. If end users do not connect to them within 10 minutes, the cloud computers stop or hibernate to avoid consuming running hours. You can adjust the scheduled tasks or policies of cloud computers. For more information, see Configure scheduled tasks and Configure a scheduled policy for a cloud computer.
Storage Capacity
The capacities of the system disks and data disks used by cloud computers.
For cloud computers of the Graphics or High Frequency type, you can also configure the system or data disk type.
SSD
ESSD
For Enterprise SSDs (ESSDs), you can also configure the disk performance level (PL). If you configure disks with larger capacities, you have a greater variety of PLs to select from. Examples:
You can select PL0 or PL1 for disks with a capacity ranging from 40 GiB to 460 GiB.
You can select PL0, PL1, or PL2 for disks with a capacity ranging from 470 GiB to 500 GiB.
Duration
The subscription duration. If you set the Billing Method parameter to Monthly Subscription, you must specify a subscription duration.
Auto-renewal
If you set the Billing Method parameter to Monthly Subscription and the subscription duration is more than one month, you can enable Auto-renewal.
NoteThe auto-renewal duration is consistent with the subscription duration. For example, if you have a two-month subscription to a cloud computer and you turn on the Auto-renewal switch, the system will automatically renew the subscription for another two months after the initial two months are over.
You can change the auto-renewal duration. To do so, click in the top navigation bar and go to the Renewal page.
Configure Network
Public Bandwidth
Cloud computers cannot access the Internet over the networks of local devices. By default, each cloud computer has basic bandwidth, which is free of charge. End users can access the Internet from cloud computers.
ImportantThe peak bandwidth only indicates the upper bandwidth limit and is for reference only. The peak bandwidth may vary based on usage scenarios. In scenarios in which demand exceeds resource supplies, the bandwidth may be lower than the specified value.
Billing of premium bandwidth plans
You are charged for using premium bandwidth plans. For more information, see Billable items. The billing method of a premium bandwidth plan is consistent with that of your cloud computers. The following billing methods of premium bandwidth plans are provided:
If the billing method of a cloud computer is Monthly Subscription, the billing method of the attached premium bandwidth plan is Pay-by-bandwidth (Subscription).
If the billing method of a cloud computer is Pay-as-you-go, the billing method of the attached premium bandwidth plan is Pay-by-data-transfer (Pay-as-you-go) or Pay-by-bandwidth (Pay-as-you-go).
If you want to cancel the billing method consistency between cloud computers and premium bandwidth plans, clear Same Billing Method next to the Billing Method parameter.
Automatic renewal of premium bandwidth plans
If you set the Billing Method parameter to Pay-by-bandwidth (Subscription) for a premium bandwidth plan, you can enable auto-renewal for the plan to prevent Internet access failures after the plan expires.
If you enable auto-renewal for a premium bandwidth plan, we recommend that you enable the auto-renewal feature for related cloud computers at the earliest opportunity to prevent resource waste.
After you purchase a premium bandwidth plan for an office network, all cloud computers in the office network can access the Internet. If you want to manage the Internet access of cloud computers in a fine-grained manner, configure network settings in the Internet Access Control section on the office network details page. For more information, see FAQ.
Internet Access
By default, the cloud computers that you create are allowed to access the Internet. If you do not want the cloud computers in the current order to access the Internet, clear Cloud computers in this order can access the Internet next to the Internet Access parameter.
Virus Defense
After you configure this parameter, you can enable the antivirus feature for Windows cloud computers at no cost. For more information, see Enable security protection.
(Optional) Assign User
Assign User
To assign a cloud computer to a user when you create the cloud computer, click Assign Now.
You can assign cloud computers to new or existing users by following the on-screen instructions.
To assign a cloud computer to a user after you create the cloud computer, click Assign Later.
(Optional) Cloud Computer Name
Naming Rule
The naming rules for cloud computers. A cloud computer name is composed of a name prefix followed by digits. The total length cannot exceed 64 characters.
Prefix
The name prefix can be up to 58 characters in length. It must start with a letter but cannot start with
http://orhttps://. The name prefix can contain letters, digits, colons (:), underscores (_), periods (.), and hyphens (-). Sample name prefix: Branch.Number of Digits
The number of digits in the numeric suffix. Example 2.
Start Value
The starting value of the numeric suffix. Example: 01.
Sample Result
The sample name of the first cloud computer that is generated based on the preceding rules. Example: Branch01.
Advanced Options
Policy
You can select an existing cloud computer policy from the Policy table. You can also click Create Policy in the lower part of the section to create a policy. After you create a policy, click Refresh to load the newly created policy. For more information, see Policy overview.
Resource Group
A resource group is a collection of cloud computer resources and is used to isolate the data permissions of sub-administrators. You can select an existing resource group from the Resource Group drop-down list, or click Create Resource Group in the lower part of the section to create a resource group. After you create a resource group, click the icon on the right side of the Resource Group drop-down list to load the newly created resource group. For more information, see Create a resource group.
Scheduled Task
You can select an existing scheduled task from the Scheduled Task drop-down list, or click Create Scheduled Task in the lower part of the section to create a scheduled task. After you create a scheduled task, click the icon on the right side of the Scheduled Task drop-down list to load the newly created scheduled task. For more information, see Configure scheduled tasks.
Snapshot Policy
You can select an existing snapshot policy from the Snapshot Policy drop-down list, or click Create Automatic Snapshot Policy in the lower part of the section to create a snapshot policy. After you create a new snapshot policy, click the icon on the right side of the Snapshot Policy drop-down list to load the newly created snapshot policy. For more information, see Create an automatic snapshot policy and associate it with cloud computers.
Tag
A tag is a key-value pair that consists of a tag key and tag value. Tags are used to identify resources. You can use tags to group cloud computers and facilitate management operations. Tags help you search for and perform batch operations on cloud computers with ease. For more information, see Use tags to manage cloud computers.
Other
Agreements
The service agreement. You need to select Read and agree to Product Terms of Service.
Quantity
The number of cloud computers you want to purchase.
NoteThe number of cloud computers you want to purchase, which cannot exceed 300. If you need to purchase more than 300 cloud computers, submit separate orders for each additional batch.
Confirm the configurations and fees, and click Buy Now.
(Conditional) Promptly make the payment if your cloud computers are billed on a monthly basis.
What to do next
Modify multiple cloud computer names at the same time: On the Cloud Computers page, select the cloud computers whose names you want to modify and choose . Then, in the dialog box that appears, enter a name prefix, number of digits, and start value, and click OK.
Associate a premium bandwidth plan with an office network: If you do not enable premium bandwidth when you create cloud computers, you can associate a premium bandwidth plan with the office network in which the cloud computers reside later. For more information, see Manage Internet access.
Back up and restore data: You can create snapshots for cloud computers to back up data and use the snapshots to restore cloud computers. For more information, see Use snapshots (public preview).
Perform remote O&M: If you want to perform O&M on cloud computers without the need to connect to the cloud computers, you can send remote commands. For more information, see Send remote commands.
Configure scheduled tasks: You can create scheduled tasks for cloud computers to perform regular tasks at specific time points. For more information, see Configure scheduled tasks.