Parallels RAS 20 Administrator's Guide
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  • Parallels RAS 20 Administrator’s Guide
    • Introduction
      • Parallels RAS release history
      • About Parallels RAS
      • About this guide
      • What's new
      • Terms and abbreviations used in this guide
    • Installing Parallels RAS
      • System requirements
        • Hardware requirements
        • Software requirements
        • Microsoft license requirements
      • Install Parallels RAS
      • Log in and activate Parallels RAS
    • Getting Started with Parallels RAS
      • The Parallels RAS Console
      • Set up a basic Parallels RAS Farm
        • Add an RD Session Host
        • Publish applications
        • Invite users
        • Azure Virtual Desktop
        • Conclusion
    • Farm and Sites
      • Connecting to a Parallels RAS Farm
      • About Sites
      • Sites in the RAS Console
      • Adding a Site to the Farm
      • Replicating Site settings
      • Managing Licensing Site
      • Managing administrator accounts
        • Adding an administrator account
        • Administrator account permissions
        • Managing administrator accounts
        • Configure RAS Console idle sessions
        • Using instant messaging
        • Joining Customer Experience Program
    • RAS Connection Broker
      • Configuring RAS Connection Brokers
      • Secondary Connection Brokers
      • Managing Secondary Connection Brokers
      • Using computer management tools
    • RAS Secure Gateway
      • Overview
      • Adding a RAS Secure Gateway
      • Manually adding a RAS Secure Gateway
      • Checking the RAS Secure Gateway status
      • Configuring a RAS Secure Gateway
        • Enable or disable a Secure Gateway
        • Set public address
        • Set IP addresses for client connections
        • Site defaults (Secure Gateways)
        • Gateway mode and forwarding settings
        • Gateway network options
        • SSL/TLS encryption
          • SSL server configuration
        • Configure User Portal
          • Using Site defaults
          • Enable or disable User Portal
          • Client settings
          • Network load balancers access
        • Wyse ThinOS support
        • Secure Gateway security
        • Web request load balancing
      • Secure Gateway tunneling policies
      • Configure logging
      • Viewing Secure Gateway summary and metrics
      • Using computer management tools
    • RD Session Hosts
      • RD Session Host types
      • Add an RD Session Host
        • Installing the agent manually
      • Add a template-based RD Session Host
      • Manage RD Session Hosts
        • Manage host pools (RD Session Hosts)
          • Add host pools (RD Session Hosts)
          • Upgrading Agents (RD Session Hosts)
        • Manage templates (RD Session Hosts)
          • Creating an RD Session Host template
          • Assigning a template to a host pool (RD Session Host)
          • Managing RD Session Hosts based on a template
        • Manage hosts (RD Session Hosts)
          • Viewing RD Session Hosts
          • Check an RD Session Host Agent status
          • Change RD Session Host Site assignment
          • View and modify RD Session Host properties
            • Using default settings
            • General
            • Agent settings
            • User profile
            • Application Packages
            • Optimization
            • Desktop access
            • RDP printer
          • User profile
            • User Profile Disks
            • FSLogix
              • Configure managing existing profiles by Parallels RAS
              • FSLogix antivirus exclusions
          • Optimization
          • Drive redirection cache
          • Configure logging
        • Manage sessions (RD Session Host)
        • Using scheduler (RD Session Hosts)
      • Planning for high availability
      • Managing logons
      • Using computer management tools
      • Publishing from an RD Session Host
      • Viewing published resources
    • Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
      • Supported providers
      • Add a provider
        • RAS Provider Agent information
          • RAS Provider Agent installation options
        • Add a hypervisor provider
        • Add a cloud Provider
          • Microsoft Azure
            • Introduction and prerequisites
            • Create Microsoft Entra ID application
            • Add Microsoft Azure as a Provider
            • Microsoft Azure and templates
          • Amazon Web Services
            • Introduction and prerequisites
            • Design considerations
            • Step 1. Creating an IAM user for programmatic access
            • Step 2. Adding AWS as a Provider
      • Manage VDI
        • Manage providers (VDI)
          • Installing RAS Provider Agent using the installer
          • Checking the RAS Provider Agent status
          • Using a Provider in multiple farms
        • Manage host pools (VDI)
          • Add host pools (VDI)
          • Delete host pools (VDI)
          • Add and delete host pool members
          • Using a wildcard to filter VMs
          • Managing hosts in pools
          • Upgrading Agents (VDI)
        • Manage templates (VDI)
          • Virtual desktop templates
          • Multi-provider template distribution
          • Creating a VM template
            • Step 1: Check and install the Agent
            • Step 2: Configure the template
              • Properties
              • Distribution
              • Advanced
              • Preparation
              • Optimization
              • License keys
              • Summary
              • Host naming
            • Parallels Test Template Wizard
            • Modifying template properties
          • How hosts are created from a template
          • Manually adding a host
          • Assigning a template to a host pool (VDI)
          • Template maintenance
          • Template status
          • Managing multi-provider template distribution
          • Managing template-based hosts
        • Manage hosts (VDI)
          • Persistent hosts
          • Configuring hosts to interact with RAS Provider Agent in a different subnet
        • Manage sessions (VDI)
        • Using scheduler (VDI)
      • Configure logging
      • Enabling high availability for VDI
      • Site defaults (VDI)
      • Using computer management tools
      • Viewing Provider summary
      • Remote PC pools in VDI
        • Adding a Provider
        • Adding Remote PCs to a Provider
        • Adding Remote PCs to a pool
        • Managing Remote PCs in a pool
        • Persistent Remote PCs
        • RAS Guest Agent installation options
    • Azure Virtual Desktop
      • Introduction
      • Prerequisites
      • Deploy Azure Virtual Desktop
        • Enable Azure Virtual Desktop and add a provider
        • Add workspaces
        • Add host pools (Azure Virtual Desktop)
      • Manage Azure Virtual Desktop
        • Manage providers (Azure Virtual Desktop)
        • Manage workspaces (Azure Virtual Desktop)
        • Manage host pools (Azure Virtual Desktop)
          • Upgrading Agents (Azure Virtual Desktop)
        • Manage templates (Azure Virtual Desktop)
          • Create a template
          • Manage existing templates
          • Assigning a template to a host pool (Azure Virtual Desktop)
        • Manage hosts (Azure Virtual Desktop)
        • Manage sessions (Azure Virtual Desktop)
        • Using scheduler (Azure Virtual Desktop)
      • Site defaults (Azure Virtual Desktop)
        • Site defaults for single-session hosts
        • Site defaults for multi-session hosts
      • Using Parallels Client with Azure Virtual Desktop
      • Verify the deployment
    • Remote PCs
      • Overview
      • Manage host pools (Remote PC)
      • Manage hosts (Remote PC)
        • Adding a Remote PC to a Farm
          • Admin-initiated Remote PC enrollment
          • Self-service Remote PC enrollment
        • Configuring a Remote PC
      • Viewing Remote PC summary
      • Using computer management tools
    • Publishing
      • Overview
      • Publishing a desktop
      • Publishing an application
      • Publishing local applications
      • Publishing an application with MSIX app attach
      • Publishing a web application
      • Publishing a network folder
      • Publishing a document
      • General management tasks
      • Manage published applications
      • Manage published desktops
      • Manage published documents
      • Manage folders
      • Site defaults (Publishing)
      • Using filtering rules
      • Configuring preferred routing
      • Understanding session prelaunch
      • Checking effective access
      • Specifying client settings
      • Quick keypad
    • Session Management
      • Overview
      • Session information
      • Monitoring settings
      • Managing sessions
      • The Resources tab
    • SSL Certificate Management
      • Generating a self-signed certificate
      • Generating a certificate signing request (CSR)
      • Let's Encrypt certificates
        • Requesting a Let's Encrypt Certificate
        • How Parallels RAS requests certificates from Let's Encrypt
      • Importing a certificate
      • Exporting a certificate
      • Assigning a certificate to Secure Gateways and HALBs
      • Auditing certificates
      • Permissions to manage certificates
      • Upgrading from an older RAS version
    • Connection and Authentication Settings
      • RAS Connection Broker connection settings
      • Remote session settings
      • Logon hours settings
      • Restricting access by Parallels Client type and build number
      • Multi-factor authentication
        • Adding an MFA provider
        • Using RADIUS
          • Connection
          • Attributes
          • Automation
          • Advanced
          • Configuring Azure MFA
          • Configuring Duo
        • Using TOTP
          • Configuring TOTP
          • Configuring Google Authenticator
          • Configuring Microsoft Authenticator
        • Configuring email OTP
        • Using Deepnet DualShield
          • Supported tokens
          • Configuring DualShield 5.6+ Authentication Platform
          • Configuring Parallels RAS to use the DualShield Authentication Platform
          • Connect to a RAS Farm
        • Using SafeNet
          • Configuring SafeNet
        • Configuring MFA rules
      • Allowing users to change domain password
      • Allowing users to discover RAS connections via email address
    • Load Balancing and HALB
      • Resource based & round robin load balancing
        • Configure CPU optimization
      • High availability load balancing (HALB)
        • Prerequisites
        • Deploying a Parallels HALB appliance
        • Adding a HALB virtual server
        • HALB Device status and version number
        • HALB maintenance
        • HALB connection and session information
        • Changing the HALB appliance password
    • RAS Multi-Tenant Architecture
      • Overview
      • Architecture description
        • Implementation overview
        • User connection flow
      • Deploying Tenant Broker and Tenants
        • Deploying Tenant Broker
        • Deploying a Tenant
          • Join a Tenant to Tenant Broker
          • Joining with a secret key
          • Verify join status
          • Configure network
          • Assign a public domain address
          • Configure an SSL certificate
          • Set up routing for incoming traffic
        • User authentication
        • Unjoining from Tenant Broker
      • Managing Tenants
        • Tenant configuration
        • Deleting a Tenant object
        • Opening a Tenant console
      • Shared Gateways
      • Third-party network load balancers
      • Web Client and Themes
      • Monitoring Tenants
      • Tenant Broker compatibility and updates
      • Upgrading from an older RAS version
      • Configuring notifications
      • Communication ports
    • SAML SSO Authentication
      • Introduction
      • System requirements
      • SAML basics
      • SAML configuration
        • Prerequisites
        • IdP side configuration
        • SP side configuration (RAS side)
        • Active Directory user account configuration
        • Configure certificate authority templates
          • Create an Enrollment Agent template
          • Create a smartcard logon certificate template
        • RAS Enrollment Server configuration
        • RAS Enrollment Server high availability
        • SAML integration examples and tips
          • User account attributes
          • Security tip
      • Parallels Client configuration
      • Parallels client policy configuration
      • Test the SAML SSO deployment
      • Error messages
    • Parallels Web Client and User Portal
      • Configure Web Client
      • Configure Themes
        • General settings
        • Access settings
        • Message settings
        • Web Client settings
          • URLs
          • Branding
          • Colors
          • Language bar
          • Messages
          • Input prompt
          • Gateway
          • Legal policies
        • Parallels Client for Windows settings
        • General Theme tasks
        • Delegating session management permissions
      • Open Parallels Web Client
      • Main menu options
      • Running remote applications and desktops
        • Using drag and drop functionality
        • Native clipboard experience
        • Other useful features
      • Auto login
      • Direct App access
      • Using the toolbar
        • Using the toolbar on desktop computers
        • Using the Toolbar on Mobile Devices
        • Using the remote clipboard
        • Hiding toolbar items
    • Universal Printing
      • Managing Universal Printing Settings
      • Universal Printing drivers
      • Font management
    • Universal Scanning
      • Managing Universal Scanning
      • Adding scanning applications
    • User Device Management and Client Policies
      • Inviting users to connect to Parallels RAS
      • Mass configuring user devices
      • Enabling Help Desk support for users
      • Enabling Help Desk support for custom administrators
      • Monitoring devices
        • Getting additional device information
      • Windows device groups
      • Managing Widows devices
        • Windows desktop replacement
      • Scheduling Windows devices & groups power cycles
      • Client policies
        • Add a new client policy
        • Configure session settings
          • Appearance
          • Connection
          • Display
          • Printing
          • Scanning
          • Audio
          • Keyboard
          • Local devices and resources
          • Experience
          • Network
          • Server authentication
          • Advanced settings
        • Configure client policy options
        • Configure control settings
        • Configure Gateway redirection
        • Client policy backward compatibility
        • Policy information in Parallels Client
      • Configuring remote file transfer
        • Configure file transfer to a server
        • Configure file transfer in User Portal
        • Configure file transfer for a client policy
    • Reporting
      • System requirements
      • Install Microsoft SQL Server
        • Install Microsoft SQL Server 2016 or earlier
        • Install Microsoft SQL Server 2017 or 2019
        • Install Microsoft SQL Server 2022
      • Install Parallels RAS Reporting
      • Running Parallels RAS Reports
      • GDPR compliance
    • Performance monitor
      • Overview
      • Install RAS Performance Monitor
      • Using Parallels RAS Performance Monitor
      • Configure RAS Performance Monitor security
      • Updating RAS Performance Monitor
    • Common Management Tasks
      • Recovery – add a root administrator
      • Host name resolution
      • Computer management tools
      • Site information
      • Site settings
      • Using MSIX application packages
      • Using template versions
      • Settings audit
      • Upgrading RAS agents
      • Licensing
      • Configure HTTP proxy settings
      • System event notifications
        • Configuring notification handlers
        • Configuring notification scripts
        • Configuring SMTP server connection for event notifications
      • RAS session variables
      • Resolving z-order issues
      • Maintenance and backup
        • Importing and exporting Farm settings from the command line
      • Problem reporting and troubleshooting
      • Logging
      • Suggest a feature
    • Parallels RAS Management Portal
      • Overview
      • Prerequisites
      • Installation
      • Log in to RAS Management Portal
      • Configure RAS Web Administration Service
      • RAS Management Portal user interface
    • Parallels RAS APIs
      • RAS PowerShell API
      • RAS REST API
        • Installation
        • Permissions
        • Getting started
        • Logging in and sending requests
        • More information
      • RAS Web Client API and Parallels Client URL scheme
    • Appendix
      • Microsoft license requirements in Parallels RAS
      • Port reference
        • Parallels Client
        • Web browsers
        • HALB
        • RAS Secure Gateway
        • RAS Connection Broker
        • RAS Console
        • SSRS
        • RAS Reporting
        • RAS Web Administration Service (REST/Management Portal)
        • RAS PowerShell
        • RAS Provider Agent
        • RAS Enrollment Server
        • RAS RD Session Host Agent
        • RAS Guest Agent
        • RAS Remote PC Agent
        • Tenant Broker
        • Active Directory and Domain Services ports
        • Azure Virtual Desktop
      • RAS performance counters
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  • Full clones
  • Linked clones
  • Updating RAS Guest Agent inside a template
  • Maintaining RD Session Hosts based on a template

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  1. Parallels RAS 20 Administrator’s Guide
  2. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
  3. Manage VDI
  4. Manage templates (VDI)

Template maintenance

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A template can be put into to a special mode called "maintenance", which is primarily used to update or install software in the guest operating system. While in this mode, the template becomes unavailable for all normal tasks, including creating new hosts, and it becomes possible to start it as a regular virtual machine. Once the virtual machine is running, you can install or update software in the guest OS or perform administrative tasks in the operating system.

Depending on whether a template is configured for full or linked clones, the maintenance mode is used slightly differently, as described below.

Full clones

If your template is configured to create full clones, do the following:

  1. Select a template and click Tasks > Maintenance and select the to be put in maintenance. The template becomes disabled (grayed out) and all operations on it are suspended. The status of template in the Status column changes to Entering maintenance and when completed, changes to Maintenance.

  2. Using native tools of the hypervisor, start the template as a normal virtual machine.

  3. Install Windows updates or software as necessary.

  4. When done, shut down the virtual machine.

  5. Back in the RAS Console, select the template and click Tasks > Maintenance again to exit the maintenance mode. You will see a dialog where you can choose whether to create a new version or discard the changes. Select Create a new version.

Note: One template can have up to five versions. If you want to create another version, you will have to delete an already existing one.

  1. Create a new template version as described in section , subsection "Creating a new version". When you update a full clone template, the changes will only affect future clones. For existing clones to have these updates, they must be recreated. You can choose to recreate existing hosts now or you can postpone it. Please note that recreating a full clone is a time consuming process. Also, a new app may be installed in a full clone VM or a user profile may be changed while the recreation is in progress, all of which will be lost. To minimize impact on users, it makes sense to schedule a maintenance window during which the clones can be recreated.

Linked clones

Since linked clones share the virtual hard disk with a snapshot of a template, you need to take additional steps compared to full clones.

First, you need to notify host users to save their data and log off. This is necessary for existing hosts to include the updates that you will install in the template. Once all users are logged off, do the following:

  1. Select a template and click Tasks > Maintenance and select the to be put in maintenance. The template becomes disabled (grayed out) and all operations on it are suspended. The status of the operation is displayed at the bottom of the window.

  2. Using native tools of the hypervisor, start the template as a normal virtual machine.

  3. Install Windows updates or software as necessary.

  4. When done, shut down the virtual machine.

  5. Back in the RAS Console, select the template and click Tasks > Maintenance again to exit the maintenance mode. You will see a dialog where you can choose whether to create a new version or discard the changes. Select Create a new version.

Note: One template can have up to five versions. If you want to create another version, you will have to delete an already existing one.

Updating RAS Guest Agent inside a template

A template must have the latest version of RAS Guest Agent installed in it. The agent is installed when you create a template. When a new version of RAS Guest Agent becomes available, it should be updated. To update the agent, the maintenance mode must be used as described above. To simplify agent updates, Parallels RAS monitors all installed agents and notifies the administrator when an update is available.

When the RAS Console starts, all installed agents are checked and a message is displayed if one or more agents need to be updated. This applies to servers in the RAS infrastructure and the templates. The message will ask if you want to update all agents. If you click Yes, you are presented with a dialog listing all servers and templates on which an agent needs to be updated. You can select or un-select a server/template to include it in the bulk update procedure or exclude it. Once you've made your selection, click OK to start the update. Follow the onscreen instructions and update the agents.

Full vs. linked clone templates: When you update RAS Guest Agent in a template, you also need to update Agents in hosts that were created from this template. This update is done differently for full and linked clone templates. Please read the instructions below for the explanation.

When you update the Agent in a linked clone template, you'll be asked if you want to recreate all hosts that were created from this template. You can click Yes and they will be automatically recreated to match the template.

When you update the Agent in a full clone template, full clone hosts are not automatically recreated. You will be asked if you want to recreate them. If you decide to do so, please note that full clone VMs are complete machines, so recreating them is a time-consuming process. Alternatively, you can update the agent in these VMs by push-installing it from the RAS Console. This can be done by clicking Tasks > Upgrade all Agents while on the VDI > Desktops tab.

To manually check the RAS Guest Agent status in a template, click Tasks > Check agent. If the agent is up to date, a message box is displayed confirming this. If a newer version of RAS Guest Agent is available, you'll see a dialog asking you to update it. Please note that the difference in updating full and linked clone templates (as described above) applies to this scenario as well.

Maintaining RD Session Hosts based on a template

If you need to do a scheduled maintenance of RD Session Hosts that were created from a template, please follow these steps:

  1. Create a schedule that fits your maintenance window to drain a desired RD Session Host group.

  2. During maintenance (or right before it) switch the template into maintenance mode. Then apply the necessary changes.

  3. The schedule disables groups provisioned by the template (while the maintenance window lasts) which leads to removing (unassigning) all hosts from them.

  4. Release the template from maintenance and click Yes when asked whether to recreate all clones.

  5. Enable groups which were disabled in step 3 (above). At this point, the groups will begin receiving hosts to comply with Keep Available Buffer setting

  6. From this point forward, groups are provisioned with VMs on demand.

Create a new template version as described in section , subsection "Creating a new version". Please note that if you create a new version without recreating linked clones, you will have to recreate them manually or by using scheduler.

template version
Using template versions
template version
Using template versions