MODULE 3: OS & APP LAYERS

Agenda

• Preparing and importing a gold image • Creating and understanding Install Machines• Creating basic Application layers• Understanding what is captured in an App

Layer• Layer Priority and conflict resolution• Updating layers

IMPORTING A GOLD IMAGE INTO AN OS LAYER

Module 3

Terminology

• Gold Image = The VMware Virtual Machine built that contains the base operating system you will import into a Unidesk OS Layer.

• OS Layer = Operating System layer stored in Unidesk format and managed by Unidesk. No association with the original gold image.

• Application Layer = Independent layers created based on specific OS layers. Can contain anything, an application, individual files, registry entries, service states, etc.

Basic Steps in Creating an OS Layer

• Create a Windows VM in vCenter• Prepping the Gold Image for import– Disabling certain Items, “tuning” the OS, etc

• Create the Unattend.xml answer file– Our scripts to c:\windows\setup\scripts

• Install Unidesk drivers• Import the OS into Unidesk

• Pro-tip: if you are new to this, create a VMware snapshot prior to configuration to allow you to rollback if you make a mess of the setup

OS Layer Key Concepts

• Each desktop built has a single OS Layer, version may change, OS may be updated, OS Layer stays the same.

• Desktop Build Automation is based on Windows mini-setup being invoked during build. Unattend.xml drives the automation for basic Windows settings.

• Setupcomplete.cmd is a MS script that runs post build for additional configuration/customizations to occur.

Understanding Desktop Build Steps

• Unidesk driven and calls vCenter to handle basic tasks like Create a VM, attach disk, Power on VM, etc

Desktop Build initiated- Blank Personalization Layer

• Runs only once for any machine – Unidesk desktops are not destroyed• Domain to join• OU to place the VM• Licensing Information

Mini-setup runs, getting its setting from unattend.xml

• This may contain licensing activation• Calles to apply a GPOs from the domain• Application scripts• Any post build customization you may want to do

SetupComplete.CMD runs POST mini-setup

Creating the Gold Image

• Unidesk supports Win 7 32 or 64 bit and 32 bit Windows XP

• Disk size and type during creation doesn’t matter as the import process only grabs file system contents and does not copy the VMDK at all

• Install VMware tools, Disable System Restore & turn off Windows auto-updates– Auto-updates can be re-enabled when updating the gold

image. Or can be manually initiated.

PREP THE GOLD IMAGElab

Unattend.xml creator

• Copy the tools into the Setup\Scripts dir first

• Use ‘Run as administrator’

• Will report errors if you cannot save to the proper locations

DOWNLOAD TOOLS AND RUN UNATTEND.XML CREATOR

lab

Optimizer Tool

• Created by the Unidesk Solution Team

• Allows for you to pick and choose optimization

• Use intelligently! Some tuning hurts applications!

Installing the Unidesk Drivers

• Installs our drivers, and registers with the Unidesk Management Appliance

• Registration allows for Unidesk to be aware of the gold image for import tasks

• Run as administrator• Do not run from a share• Will request the DNS name/IP of the Unidesk

Management Appliance

Creating the OS Layer

• Running the “Create OS layer” wizard starts the process

• Know your Gold Image VM name as seen in vCenter

• Layer name and version info in the wizard can be changed later. The key is to get the import running.

• Import may take between 7 and 20 minutes depending on hardware.

INSTALLING THE DRIVERS AND IMPORTING THE OS LAYER

lab

Post Import

• Test Deployment of desktop with just the OS layer

• Validate Domain Join and other functions from automated setup function properly

• Add versions to the OS layer to make adjustments to the unattend.xml, scripts or anything else OS related. No need to re-import.

INSTALLATION MACHINES

Install Machines

• Install Machines are a staging area for the creation of app layers and for adding versions to app layers and OS layers

• There are VMs with no “hard drive” that are created specifically for the app layer or OS layer being created or versioned

• Think of IMs as automatically created and refreshed packaging machines!

Install Machines

CREATING INSTALLATION MACHINES

lab

Building an app layer

• A new, empty app layer is created– Or, when doing updates/patches, the prior copy of the layer

O/S layer (read-only)

App layer (all writes go here)

C:\DIR\A.DATC:\DIR\B.DATC:\DIR\C.DAT

Building an app layer

• A new, empty app layer is created– Or, when doing updates/patches, the prior copy of the layer

• Any data that is written (directories, files, keys, …) is stored in the new layer

• Files in the O/S layer that are modified are first copied to the app layer, and then modified

O/S layer (read-only)

App layer (all writes go here)

C:\DIR\A.DATC:\DIR\B.DATC:\DIR\C.DAT

C:\DIR\D.DAT (new file)C:\DIR\B.DAT (copied and then modified)Delete C:\DIR\C.DAT (marks C.DAT as deleted)

Building an app layer

• A new, empty app layer is created– Or, when doing updates/patches, the prior copy of the layer

• Any data that is written (directories, files, keys, …) is stored in the new layer

• Files in the O/S layer that are modified are first copied to the app layer, and then modified

O/S layer (read-only)

App layer (all writes go here)

C:\DIR\A.DATC:\DIR\B.DATC:\DIR\C.DAT

C:\DIR\D.DAT (new file)C:\DIR\B.DAT (copied and then modified)Delete C:\DIR\C.DAT (marks C.DAT as deleted)

C:\DIR\A.DAT (from O/S)C:\DIR\B.DAT (from App)(C:\DIR\C.DAT removed by App)C:\DIR\D.DAT (from App)

Resulting C:

CREATING A BASIC APP LAYERLab

App Layering Pro Tips• Reduce desktop (File system) change during install

– Don’t copy installer locally unless required– Install from a share or ISO– This will keep package size to a minimum

• On the Administrator Profile leave a shortcut to your Install Media Share

• User Changes are caught in current user’s profile, NOT deployed to the user– Use GPO/GPP or simple script to deploy User based application

changes• MS Products license together (like MS Office and Visio) use

Office as a prerequisite layer any time creating a layer for other “Office” products

LAYER PRIORITIES AND CONFLICTS

Layer Priority Rules

• All Layers are “stacked” in a priority order• Personalization layer always wins (unless you

override)• OS layer is always on the bottom of the stack• Layer priority within the application stack

based on package creation date and time– MSI installer rules during install are followed- key

to understand pre-requisite layers

Layer Priority Example

• Layers Stacked based on internal priority numbering system

• Can override priorities system wide

• Personalization layer override done on an app by app basis

O/S layer

App layer 2

C:\DIR\C.DATC:\DIR\D.DAT

C:\DIR\B.DATC:\DIR\C.DAT

App layer 1 C:\DIR\A.DATC:\DIR\B.DAT

Results within desktop:C:\DIR\A.DAT from APP1C:\DIR\B.DAT from APP1C:\DIR\C.DAT from APP2C:\DIR\D.DAT from OS

Layer Priority Example

• Layers Stacked based on internal priority numbering system

• Can override priorities system wide

• Personalization layer override done on an app by app basis

O/S layer

App layer 1

C:\DIR\C.DATC:\DIR\D.DAT

C:\DIR\A.DATC:\DIR\B.DAT

App layer 2 C:\DIR\B.DATC:\DIR\C.DAT

Results within desktop:C:\DIR\A.DAT from APP1C:\DIR\B.DAT from APP2C:\DIR\C.DAT from APP2C:\DIR\D.DAT from OS

Layer Priority Screen

CHANGING LAYER PRIORITYLab

Layer Storage

• Stored in VDMK format• All Layers start life on the Master CachePoint

datastore• Layers are replicated to other CPs/datastores

based on desktop layer assignments• Layer versions are all stored in the same

directory under the layer name in the datastore

VIEWING LAYERS ON THE DATASTORELab

VERSIONING APP AND OS LAYERS

Updating an Existing Layer

• Original App Layer is copied on the MCP datastore• This copy is mounted to the IM and the admin updates the existing layer• Any data that is written (directories, files, keys, …) is stored in this copy

O/S layer (read-only)

App layer (all writes go here)

C:\DIR\A.DATC:\DIR\B.DATC:\DIR\C.DAT

C:\DIR\D.DAT (new file)C:\DIR\B.DAT (copied and then modified)Delete C:\DIR\C.DAT (marks C.DAT as deleted)

VERSIONING A LAYERLab

Swapping Layers vs Versioning

• You also have the ability to create a NEW layer instead of versioning a layer

• Key difference in swapping is that the personalization layer is “cleaned up” of any application conflicts from the “old” layer.

• This is often used for Agents and other mgmt or IT type software

QUESTIONS YOU MAY SEE AGAIN

Review Questions

• What desktop operating systems does Unidesk 2.1 support?

• During installation of the Unidesk drivers the installer asks for the IP or DNS name of what piece of infrastructure?

• When creating a new version of a layer what happens to the existing (current) version?

• What do you edit/create to modify which domain or OU new desktops join to?