Beginning with Parallels RAS v16.5, you can create and add to a RAS Farm the following types of RD Session Hosts:

• Individual servers. These can be physical boxes or virtual machines treated as physical servers. For information on how to create these types of servers, see Adding an RD Session Host.

• Virtual machines (VMs) created from a template, which is a part of RAS Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). The main advantage of using VMs is the ability to create as many of them as you require from a single template. For information on how to create these types of servers, see Add a template-based RD Session Host.

Considering that template is a part of RAS VDI, some aspects of creating, provisioning, and managing RD Session Hosts based on a template differ from the regular RD Session Hosts (individual servers). When reading these sections, please pay attention to whether or not a particular functionality applies to RD Session Hosts based on a template.

RD Session Hosts are used to host published resources (applications, desktops, documents, etc.) in a Parallels RAS Farm. Read this chapter to learn how to add, configure, and administer RD Session Hosts.

You may need to install the RAS RD Session Host Agent manually if the automatic push installation cannot be performed. For instance, an SMB share may not be available or the firewall rules may interfere with the push installation, etc.

Installing RAS RD Session Host Agent manually

1. Log in to the server where the RAS RD Session Host Agent is to be installed using an administrator account and close all other applications.

2. Copy the Parallels RAS installation file (RASInstaller.msi) to the server and double-click it to launch the installation.

3. Follow the onscreen instructions and proceed to the installation type page. Select Custom and click Next.

4. Click on RAS RD Session Host Agent and select Entire Feature will be installed on local hard drive from the drop-down list.

5. Ensure that all other components are deselected and click Next.

6. Click Install to start the installation.

7. Click Finish once the installation is finished.

The RAS RD Session Host Agent doesn't require any configuration. Once the agent is installed, highlight the server name in the RAS Console and click Troubleshooting > Check Agent in the Tasks drop-down list to update the server status.

Uninstalling RAS RD Session Host Agent

To uninstall RAS RD Session Host Agent from a server:

1. Navigate to Start > Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a Program.

2. Find Parallels Remote Application Server in the list of installed programs.

3. If you don't have any other Parallels RAS components on the server that you want to keep, right-click Parallels Remote Application Server and then click Uninstall. Follow the instructions to uninstall the program. You may skip the steps below.

4. If you have other RAS components that you want to keep on the server, right-click Parallels Remote Application Server and then click Change.

5. Click Next on the Welcome page.

6. On the Change, repair, or remove page, select Change.

7. On the next page, select Custom.

8. Select RAS RD Session Host Agent, then click the drop-down list in front of it, and click Entire feature will be unavailable.

9. Click Next and complete the wizard.

A template-based RD Session Host is a clone of a virtual machine running on a hypervisor or a cloud-based provider. When you create a template, you select a preconfigured VM with the operating system and applications already installed. Individual hosts (VMs) are then created as clones of the template. The clones can be created in advance or on as-needed basis (configurable when you create a template). This functionality allows you to create and configure an RD Session Host running in a virtual machine and then create as many copies of it as you require.

To add a template-based RD Session Host to a Site:

1. Create a template as described in Creating an RD Session Host template.

2. Assign the template to a host pool as described in Assigning a template to a host pool.

3. Add individual RD Session Hosts to the host pool. Do one of the following:

   • If you want to add RD Session Hosts manually, go to the host pool properties, select the Servers tab and click Tasks > Add (or click the [+] icon). In the dialog that opens, select the number of RD Session Host you want to create and click OK.

   • If you want Parallels RAS to add RD Session Hosts automatically when certain conditions are met, configure autoscaling as described in Manage host pools (RD Session Hosts).

RD Session Host requirements

An RD Session Host must have the Remote Desktop Services (RDS) role installed. You can install RDS right from the RAS Console, as described later in this section.

To push install the RAS RD Session Host Agent on a server, the following requirements must be met:

• The firewall must be configured on the server to allow push installation. Standard SMB ports (139 and 445) need to be open. See also Port reference for the list of ports used by Parallels RAS.

• SMB access. The administrative share (\\server\c$) must be accessible. Simple file sharing must be enabled.

• Your Parallels RAS administrator account must have permissions to perform a remote installation on the server. If it doesn't, you'll be asked to enter credentials of an account that does.

• The RD Session Host should be joined to an AD domain. If it's not, the push installation may not work and you will have to install the Agent on the server manually. See Installing the Agent manually section.

Add an RD Session Host

To add an RD Session Host to a Site:

1. In the RAS Console, navigate to Farm > Site > RD Session Hosts.

2. Click Tasks > Add. This opens the Add RD Session Hosts wizard. Note that you can also open the wizard from the Start category as describe in Set up a basic Parallels RAS Farm.

3. Click the Tasks menu (or click the [+] icon) and select one of the following:

   • Add from Active Directory: Adds an RD Session Host from Active directory.

   • Add Manually: Adds RD Session Host by entering its FQDN or IP address.

   Note that if you enter the server name (hostname or FQDN), it will be used as the primary method of connecting to this server from other RAS components and clients. If you enter the IP address, it will be automatically resolved to FQDN, but only if the global option to resolve to FQDN is enabled. To see the current setting of this global option, click Tools > Options on the main menu. In the Options dialog, examine the Always attempt to resolve to fully qualified domain name (FQDN) when adding hosts option. When the option is selected, the IP address of every server/component in the RAS Farm is always resolved to FQDN. When the option is cleared, whatever is specified for a server (IP address or name) is used to communicate with a server. This makes a difference in deployments where an IP address cannot be used to access a server, such as when a server is hosted in the cloud. For more information, see Host name resolution.

4. Click Next.

5. On the next page, specify the following options:

   • Add firewall rules. Add firewall rules required by Parallels RAS in Windows running on the server. See Port reference for details.

   • Install RDS role. Install the RDS role on the server if it's not installed. You should always select this option.

   • Enable Desktop Experience. Enable the Desktop Experience feature in Windows running on the server. This option is enabled only if the Install RDS role option (above) is selected. The option applies to Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 2012 R1/R2 on which the Desktop Experience feature is not enabled by default.

   • Restart server if required. Automatically restart the server if necessary. You can restart the server manually if you wish.

   • Add server(s) to host pool. Add the server (or servers) to a host pool. Select the desired host pool in the list box located below this option. If you are not sure what host pool to choose, select Default Host pool. Host pools are described in detail in the Manage host pools (RD Session Hosts) section.

6. Click Next.

7. Add the server (or servers) to a host pool. Select the desired host pool or create a new host pool. If you are not sure what host pool to choose, select Default Host pool. Host pools are described in detail in the Manage host pools (RD Session Hosts) section.

8. Click Next.

9. The next page allows you to add users and groupsto the Remote Desktop Users groups in Windows running on the server. This is necessary for your Parallels RAS users to be able to access published resources hosted by an RD Session Host. To specify users and/or groups, select the option provided and then click the [+] icon. In the Select Users or Groups dialog, specify a user or a group and click OK. The selected user/group will be added to the list on the wizard page.

1. Click Next.

2. The User profile page allows you to select a technology to manage user profiles. You can select from User profile disk or FSlogix. User profile disks are virtual hard disks that store user application data on a dedicated file share. Microsoft FSLogix Profile Container is the preferred Profile Management solution as the successor of Roaming Profiles and User Profile Disks (UPDs). It is set to maintain user context in non-persistent environments, minimize sign-in times and provide native profile experience eliminating compatibility issues. For complete instructions, please see User profile.

3. The Optimization page allows you to specify settings that will be used to optimize Windows on the RD Session Host for best performance in a Parallels RAS environment. You can select Windows components, services, and other options that will be disabled, removed, or optimized to ensure a more efficient, streamlined, and improved delivery of virtual apps and desktops. For the complete description, please see Optimization.

4. On the next page, review the settings and click Next.

5. The Install RAS RD Session Host Agent dialog opens. Follow the instructions and install the agent. When the installation is finished, click Done to close the dialog.

6. Back in the wizard, click Finish to close it.

If you would like to verify that the RD Session Host has been added to the Farm, click the Farm category (below the Start category in the left pane of the Parallels RAS Console window) and then click RD Session Hosts in the navigation tree (the middle pane). The server should be included in the RD Session Hosts list. The Status column may display a warning message. If it does, reboot the server. The Status column should now say, "OK", which means that your RD Session Host is functioning properly.

Read on to learn how to publish an application from an RD Session Host.

Read this section to learn how manage RD Session Hosts components in Parallels RAS.

When you create RD Session Host host pools, you can assign a template to a host pool. This can be done when you create or modify a host pool, or it can be done from the Templates tab.

To assign a template to a host pool:

1. Go to Farm > Site > RD Session Hosts > Templates tab.

2. On the Templates tab, select a template.

3. Click Tasks > Assign to host pool.

4. Select the template version in the Version dialog.

5. A dialog opens listing existing RD Session Host host pools. Host pools that already have a template assigned are not shown in this list by default. To display them, select the Show host pools with assigned template option. The template that they are currently using is displayed in the Template column.

6. Select one or more host pools and click OK.

To remove a template from a host pool or host pool:

1. Select a template and click Tasks > Remove from host pool.

2. A dialog opens listing all host pools to which this template is assigned.

3. Select the host pools to remove the template from and click OK.

Note that if a host pool has hosts created from the template that you are removing, they will be removed as well. A message is displayed where you need to confirm the removal.

You can enable and configure automatic updates for all RD Session Host Agents in a host pool.

Schedule Agent auto-upgrade

To schedule Agent auto-upgrade:

1. Go to Farm > Site > RD Session Hosts > Host pools > Properties > Auto-upgrade tab.

2. Clear the Inherit default settings options if you want to modify them for this host pool.

3. Select the Enable auto-upgrade maintenance window option. During the maintenance window, all hosts in the host pool will try to download Agent upgrades. The upgrades will be downloaded and installed as soon as all users log out of their hosts. New logons from users are prohibited (drain mode). If the users don't log off during a maintenance window, the upgrades won't be installed until the next window.

4. Specify the start date and time, duration, and recurrence settings for this event. To make this a one-time event, select Never in the Recur drop-down list.

5. (Optional) If you want to forcefully log off all users and download the upgrades at the end of a maintenance window, select the Force logoff of current sessions at the end of the maintenance window duration option.

6. (Optional) Configure a message that will be sent to users before or during a maintenance window. Click the Configure messages button and specify the message title, body, and the time period when it should be sent.

Cancel Agent auto-update

To cancel Agent auto-update:

1. Go to Farm > Site > RD Session Hosts > Host pools.

2. Select Tasks > Cancel auto-upgrade maintenance window.

When you publish resources in Parallels RAS, you need to specify one or more servers that host them. Host pools allow you to combine multiple RD Session Hosts and then publish the resources from the host pool instead of specifying individual servers.

The main benefits of using RD Session Host host pools are as follows:

• They simplify the management of published resources.

• They allow you to use RD Session Hosts created from a template. More on this later in this section.

Each RD Session Hosts must belong to a host pool. Parallels RAS comes with a built-in host pool named <Default> that you can use. Note that an RD Session Host can be a member of one host pool only. You cannot add the same server to multiple host pools.

Moving an RD Session Host to another host pool

To move an RD Session Host from one host pool to another:

1. In the RAS console, navigate to Farm > <Site> > RD Session Hosts.

2. Select an RD Session Host.

3. Click Tasks > Assign to host pool or right-click the RD Session Host and select Assign to host pool in the context menu.

4. In the Assign to Host pool dialog, select the host pool you need.

Autoscale

The settings on the Autoscale tab of the host pool properties determine how RD Session Hosts are created from the specified template. The settings are described below.

Template: Specifies the template assigned to the host pool.

Enable autoscale: Enables autoscale.

Configure: Configures the autoscale settings:

• Min number of hosts to be added to the host pool from the Template: Specifies the minimum number of servers that will be added to the host pool automatically when the template is assigned to the host pool. This number of servers will remain in the host pool irrespective of utilization.

• Max number of hosts to be added to the host pool from the Template: This option allows you to set a limit on how many servers in total can be added to the host pool from the template. A template can be shared between host pools. By setting a limit for each host pool, you can ensure that the combined number of servers in each host pool will not exceed the template limit. Consider the following examples:

  • If the template is used by a single host pool, then this number can be up to the Maximum hosts setting of the template.

  • If two or more host pools share the same template, then the combined number from all host pools must be less or equal to the Maximum hosts settings of the template.

  When you save a host pool, a validation will be performed against other host pools (if any) and you will see an error message if the numbers don't match. Note that when a server cannot be created on request due to an error, a "Template error" event is triggered and the administrator will receive an alert message.

• Add new or power on existing hosts when workload is above (%): Specifies a workload threshold in percent. When the actual workload is above this value, a new server (or servers) will be created and added to the host pool (if not already available). The host pool workload percentage is calculated using the following formula:

  Host pool Workload = (Current Sessions / Max Sessions) * 100

  In the formula above:

  • Current Sessions is the total number of all sessions on all servers in the host pool. This includes static (standalone) servers and servers created from the template (host pools). Note that servers that are disabled, being drained, or have the agent status of ‘Not Verified’ are not included in the calculation.

  • Max Sessions is a setting that you specify on the Agent Settings tab (either inherited from Site defaults or overridden for this host pool) and the maximum number of sessions allowed for the host pool.

  Consider the following examples:

  RAS Host pool 1 — mixed server types (static and host pools), different agent status:

  • RDSH-1, Status: OK, Max Sessions 10, Current Sessions: 2, Type: Static

  • RDSH-2, Status: Disabled, Max Sessions 20, Current Sessions: 0, Type: Static

  • RDSH-3, Status: OK, Max sessions 10, Current Sessions: 4, Type: Host

  • RDSH-4, Status: Drain Mode, Max sessions 10, Current Sessions: 3, Type: Host

  For the host pool above, the workload is calculated as (Current Sessions / Max Sessions) * 100 or ((2 + 4) / 20) * 100 = 30%

  Note that servers RDSH-2 and RDSH-4 are not included in the workload because the former has the agent disabled and the latter is in drain mode.

  RAS Host pool 2 — mixed server types (static and host pools), different agent status:

  • RDSH-1, Status: OK, Max Sessions 10, Current Sessions: 0, Type: Host

  • RDSH-2, Status: OK, Max Sessions 10, Current Sessions: 2, Type: Host

  • RDSH-3, Status: Not Verified, Max sessions 10, Current Sessions: 0, Type: Host

  Host pool Workload = (Current Sessions / Max Sessions) * 100 or ((0 + 2) / 20) * 100 = 10%

  Please note that a host pool will always make sure that it has at least one server available, even if the workload is zero percent.

• Number of hosts to be added to the host pool per request: Specifies how many servers should be created when the workload goes above the threshold value. This setting works together with the Add servers from template when workload is above (%) setting described above. When a host pool sends a request to the template to create additional servers, the value specified here will determine the number of servers that will be created.

• Drain and power off hosts from host pool when workload is below (%): Specifies a workload threshold in percent. When the actual workload is below this value and remains there for a period specified in the Workload remains below this level field, excessive hosts will be switched to drain mode or powered off. The period of time can be selected from the drop-down list or you can type your own integer value using "weeks", "days", "hours", "minutes", or "seconds" as a unit measure. The server(s) with the least number of sessions will be switched to drain mode. As soon as all users are logged off from a server, it is unassigned from the host pool. At that point, the server becomes available to other host pools on demand.

• Remove hosts from host pool after drain and power off: Specifies if hosts should be removed from the host pool after being drained and powered off.

Tip: Servers are unassigned from the host pool only when all user sessions on that particular server are logged off. In case user sessions are still present, such as user sessions in idle, active or disconnected state, autoscaling does not log off user sessions and does not unassign the server from a host pool.

Using host pool defaults

RD Sessions Hosts assigned to a host pool have various settings that they can inherit from the host pool defaults. This makes it simpler to configure a single set of settings for all servers instead of configuring each server individually. A Site also has its own default settings (Site defaults). Moreover, an RD Session Host host pool can inherit these Site defaults. This gives you the following choices when inheriting default settings by an RD Session Host:

• Configure Site defaults and make the host pool inherit these settings. The RD Session Hosts assigned to the host pool will therefore also inherit Site defaults. This is the default scenario for a new host pool. Site defaults can be configured by navigating to Farm > <Site> > RD Session hosts and clicking Tasks > Site defaults.

• Configure default settings for a given host pool. This way you can have multiple host pools, each having its own host pool defaults (different from Site defaults). Therefore, the servers assigned to a host pool will inherit the host pool's defaults.

To configure default settings for a host pool, open the Host pool Properties dialog (Tasks > Properties), select a desired tab (except the General tab, which doesn't have any defaults) and select or clear the Inherit default settings option. If you clear the option, you can specify your own defaults. All servers that are (or will be) assigned to this host pool will inherit these settings. Note that inheritance works independently for each individual tab on the host pool properties dialog.

For information on how default settings are configured for an RD Session Host, see View and modify RD Session Host properties.

Creating a host pool

To create an RD Session Host host pool:

1. In the RAS console, navigate to Farm > <Site> > RD Session HostsHost pools.

2. Click Tasks > Add (or click the [+] icon).

3. Select Enable Host pool in site to enable the host pool. Specify the name and the description for the new host pool.

4. Click Next.

5. On the Provisioning page, select whether this host pool will contain template-based or standalone hosts:

   • Template: (Template-based RD Session Hosts only) Hosts will be created dynamically from a template. You will need to create or select an existing template in the next step or later. Choosing Template as the provisioning type ensures a homogeneous host pool, which is recommended to provide consistent user experience across the host pool. For more information about creating template-based RD Session Hosts, see section Add a template-based RD Session Host.

   • Standalone: (Template-based and standalone RD Session Hosts) Select one or more hosts that already exist. You'll be able to do it in the next step or you can do it later. Prior to adding hosts to host pools, ensure that hosts are domain joined and have network access to the domain environment. Note that the Standalone provisioning is considered "unmanaged" as it lacks some of the functionality, such as Autoscaling.

6. Click Next.

7. Depending on the selection made on the Provisioning page (above), do one of the following

   • Standalone: Select one or more hosts from the list to be included in the host pool (you can also add hosts to the pool later).

   • Template: Select a template from the list or click Create new to create a new template and specify the template settings. Versions: If you selected an existing template, select one of its versions. Enable autoscale: (Multi-session hosts) Enable and configure autoscale.

8. Click Next.

9. (Templates only) On the Provisioning page, specify the following options:

   • Template name: Choose and type a template name.

   • Host name: A pattern to use when naming new hosts.

   • Number of hosts deployed on wizard completion: The number of hosts to deploy once the template is created. Please keep in mind that this will take some time because the hosts will be created one at a time.

   • Host state after the preparation: Select the power state that should be applied to a host after it is prepared. Choose from Powered on, Powered off, or Suspended. Note that when the power state is set to Power off or Suspended, the number of running (fully ready and waiting for incoming connections) hosts is controlled by the Keep available buffer setting (see above). For example, let's say the Maximum hosts value is set at 200, the number of guest hosts deployed on wizard completion is 100, and the power state after preparation is Powered off. The result of such a configuration will be 100 clones deployed and powered off.

   • Maximum hosts: Specify the maximum number of hosts that can be created from this template.

   • (Only for templates created from AWS instances) Virtual networks: Select Availability Zones for the host pool. Choose from Use the subnet associated with the template and Use specific subnets available in the VPC. If you select Use specific subnets available in the VPC, then after clicking Next you can manaully select one or several Availability Zones.

   • Autoscale settings: Configure autoscale settings as described in Manage host pools (RD Session Hosts).

10. Click Next.

11. On the User profile page, you can select from Do not manage by RAS (user profiles will not be managed) or FSlogix. Microsoft FSLogix Profile Container allows to maintain user context in non-persistent environments, minimize sign-in times and provides native profile experience eliminating compatibility issues. For complete instructions, please see User profile.

12. Click Next.

13. On the Summary page, review the template summary information. You can click the Back button to correct some of the information if needed.

14. Finally, click Finish to create the host pool and close the wizard.

After you create a host pool and later publish resources from it, you can view the list of resources by right-clicking a host pool and choosing Show published resources (or click Tasks > Show Published Resources). For more information, see Viewing published resources hosted by RD Session Hosts.

RD Session Host templates are designed specifically to give you the ability to replicate RD Session Hosts running in virtual machines. Hosts created from an RD Session Host template are treated by Parallels RAS almost like regular RD Session Hosts. The main difference is, you can create as many hosts from a single template as you require, thus automating RD Session Host provisioning according to your needs.

RD Session Host templates are supported on the following VDI platforms:

• Microsoft Hyper-V

• Microsoft Hyper-V Failover Cluster

• VMware VCenter

• VMware ESXi

• SC//HyperCore

• Nutanix AHV (AOS)

• Microsoft Azure

• Amazon Web Services

RD Session Host templates support Windows Server 2008 R2 up to Windows Server 2022 as a guest OS. Compared to regular RD Session Hosts, servers created from an RD Session Host template do not support earlier versions of Windows Server. The reason is, these servers run in VMs and require the RAS Guest Agent installed in them, so the guest OS requirements are limited by Windows Server versions supported by RAS Guest Agent.

Please note that the following standard RAS VDI features are not available when using RD Session Host templates:

• Pool management

• Persistent hosts

• Session management

• Publishing from a specific Template

• Some other strictly RAS VDI specific features.

For the information on how to provision RD Session Hosts created from a template, see Manage host pools (RD Session Hosts).

Requirements

To complete the tasks described in this section, the following requirements must be met:

• Requirements described in the "Requirements" subsection of Creating a VM template.

• Network Discovery UDP port 137 must be enabled for a domain firewall profile in the guest OS. This can be done via domain group policies or manually in the guest OS.

Manual agent installation

Normally, you will push install the necessary agent software in a source VM right from the Parallels RAS console. However, you can also install the software manually by running the Parallels RAS installer in Windows in the VM. When doing so, use the Custom installation option and select the following agent components RAS Guest Agent and RAS RD Session Host Agent to be installed in the source VM.

Create a template

To create an RD Session Host template:

1. Add one of the supported provides, as described in Add a Provider.

2. Go to Farm > Site > RD Session Hosts > Templates tab.

3. In the Tasks drop-down menu, click Add (or click the [+] icon).

4. In the dialog that opens, select a host from which you would like to create a template and click OK.

5. The Create Parallels Template Wizard opens. Each wizard page is described below in the order they appear on the screen.

6. Verify that the Agent is installed and install it manually if needed as described in Step 1: Check and install the Agent. This step only appears if an on-premises Provider is used.

7. Configure the template as described in Step 2: Configure the template.

This section describes how to configure and manage an existing RD Session Host.

You can assign an RD Session Host to a different Site in your Farm if needed. Please note that this functionality is only available if you have more than one Site in your Farm.

To change the Site assignment:

1. Right-click an RD Session Host and then click Change Site in the context menu. The Change Site dialog opens.

2. Select a Site in the list and click OK. The server will be moved to the RD Session Hosts list of the target Site (Farm > <new-site-name> > RD Session Hosts).

To view the list of RD Session Hosts for the current Site:

1. In the RAS Console, navigate to Farm > <Site-name> > RD Session Hosts.

2. The available RD Session Hosts are displayed on the RD Session Hosts tab in the right pane.

You can filter the RD Session Hosts list as follows:

1. Click the magnifying glass icon, which is located on a toolbar above the list.

2. An extra row is displayed at the top of the list where you can type a string in one or more columns that will be used to filter the list.

3. For example, if you want to search for a server by its name, enter the text in the Server column. You can type the entire server name or the first few characters until a match is found. The list will be filtered as you type and only the matching server(s) will be displayed.

4. If you type a filter string in more than one column, they will be combined using the logical AND operator.

5. To remove the filter and display the complete list, click the magnifying glass icon again.

6. If you click the magnifying glass icon one more time, you'll see that the filter that you specified earlier is still there. To remove it completely, simply delete the filter string(s) from the column(s).

Viewing RD Session Host summary

In addition to the RD Session Hosts editor described above, you can also see the summary about the available RD Session Hosts. To do so:

1. In the RAS Console, select the Farm category and then select the Site node in the middle pane.

2. The available servers are displayed in the RD Session Hosts host pool in the right pane.

3. To go to the RD Session Host editor (described above), right-click a server and choose Show in the Editor.

For additional info, see Sites in the RAS Console.

Available menu options

You can perform a number of tasks on the an RD Session Host using menus. To do so, click the Tasks drop-down list and choose a desired option, or right-click a host and choose an option from the context menu.

Please note that not all menu options are available for RD Session Hosts based on a template. If an option is not available for this host type, it will be either disabled or hidden. These include:

• Assign to host pool. Host pool assignment is performed automatically for template-based hosts.

• Delete. Deleting a host (which is a VM) can only be done on the template level (the Host List dialog).

• Properties. RD Session Hosts of this type don't have individual properties. Some essential properties are inherited from Default Server Properties (see View and Modify RD Session Host Properties > Agent Settings).

• Control (logon commands). Drain mode is managed automatically by the host pool to which a template-based host belongs.

An RD Session Host must have RAS RD Session Host Agent installed in order to publish remote applications and desktop from it. In addition to this, Remote Desktop Services (formerly Terminal Services) must also be installed.

Normally when you add an RD Session Host to a Site, the RD Session Host Agent and Remote Desktop Services are installed by default. However, if you skipped the installation (or uninstalled the agent or RDS from the server), you can check their status and take appropriate actions if needed.

To check the status of RD Session Host Agent and RDS, do the following:

1. First, check the Status column in the RD Session Hosts list. The column should display "OK". If so, the Agent is installed and functioning properly. If not, read on.

2. In addition to the description, the Status column uses a color code to indicate the agent status as follows:

   • Red — not verified

   • Orange — needs update

   • Green — verified

3. Right-click a server and click Troubleshooting > Check agent in the context menu. The Agent Information dialog opens.

4. If the agent is not installed on the server, click the Install button and follow the instructions on the screen.

After the agent installation is complete, you may need to reboot the RD Session Host. You can do it right from the Parallels RAS Console by selecting the server and clicking Tasks > Control > Reboot.

Viewing RD Session Hosts based on a specific template

To view the list of RD Session Hosts based on a specific template:

1. Go to Farm > <Site> > RD Session Hosts > Templates.

2. Select a template and click Tasks > Show servers.

Site defaults

RD Session Hosts based on a template inherit the template settings. To view the settings, note on which template an RD Session Host is based and then view properties of that template, specifically the Settings and Security tabs. For more information, see Site defaults. Note that you a template can inherit Site default settings or you can specify your own custom settings for it.

Checking the RAS Guest Agent status

A guest RD Session Hosts based on a template must have RAS Guest Agent installed and the agent must match the Parallels RAS version. The agent is installed by default when an RD Session Host is created from a template. If the RD Session Host was created using the native hypervisor tools, it may not have the agent installed in it. In such a case, the RD Session Host will be able to serve only the remote desktop. To enable it to server applications or documents, you'll need to install the agent yourself.

To check if the RAS Guest Agent is installed and up to date:

1. Go to Farm > <Site> > RD Session Hosts > RD Session Hosts.

2. Continue as described in Managing hosts, subsection "Checking the RAS Guest Agent status".

The RD Session Host template must also have the RAS RD Session Host Agent installed.

To check if the RAS RD Session Host Agent is installed and up to date:

1. Go to Farm > <Site> > RD Session Hosts > Templates.

2. Select a template in the list and then click Tasks > Troubleshooting > Check agent.

Deleting an RD Session Hosts based on a template

See Managing hosts, subsection "Deleting a host".

Managing RD Session Hosts based on a template that failed preparation

See Managing hosts, subsection "Managing hosts that failed preparation". Notice than in case of RD Session Hosts, you have to go to Farm > <Site> > RD Session Hosts > RD Session Hosts and click Tasks > Site defaults to see Site Defaults.

Recreating an RD Session Hosts based on a template

If something happens to a RD Session Hosts based on a template and it becomes unusable, you don't have to delete it and create a new one. Instead, you can recreate it keeping its name, MAC address, and other properties. This way none of the other Site settings, which may rely on a broken RD Session Host, will be affected. Another reason for recreating an RD Session Host is to apply changes made to the template (when you exit from maintenance without executing the Recreate command).

Please note that recreated RD Session Hosts can keep the the following properties:

• MAC address is kept on ESXi, vCenter, Hyper-v, Hyper-v Failover Cluster, Nutanix AHV (AOS), and SC//HyperCore.

• BIOS UUID is kept on ESXi and vCenter.

• DRS groups are kept on vCenter.

To recreate one or more guest RD Session Host:

1. In the Parallels RAS Console, navigate to Farm > <Site> > RD Session Hosts > Templates.

2. To recreate all deployed RD Session Host, click the Tasks drop-down list and choose Recreate all servers.

3. To recreate a specific host (or multiple hosts), click Tasks > Show servers. This will open the dialog which will list RD Session Hosts. Select one or more RD Session Hosts and then click the Tasks > Recreate.

When you recreate a RD Session Host based on a template:

• The procedure deletes the RD Session Host and creates a new one from the same template.

• The new RD Session Host retains the same computer name as the one it replaces.

• If an RD Session Host is running, all unsaved data in its memory will be lost. For this reason, an important data should be saved to an external storage.

To configure an RD Session Host:

1. In the RAS Console, navigate to Farm > <site> > RD Session Hosts.

2. Select a server and click Tasks > Properties.

3. The server properties dialog opens where you can configure the RD Session Host properties.

The dialog is described in the subsections that follow this one.

The server properties dialog consists of tabs, each containing their own specific set of properties. All tabs, except General, have either Group Defaults or Site defaults link, which allows you to view and modify default settings. If you want the properties on a particular tab to inherit default settings, select the Inherit default settings option. When you do, the default settings will be inherited from one of the following:

• Group defaults. Groups are described in Grouping and cloning RD Session Host Servers.

• Site defaults. Note that a group may also inherit Site defaults, but this can be overridden in the group properties dialog where you can specify custom settings for a group.

To view or modify default settings, click the Group Defaults or Site defaults link. Note that each individual tab can inherit default settings independently from other tabs.

To specify custom settings for an RD Session Host, clear the Inherit default settings option and use the controls on a given tab to set the desired options.

The Application Packages tab allows you to manage MSIX application packages on RD Session Hosts and groups.

To use default settings, select the Inherit default settings option. See Using default settings.

Adding a package to an RD Session Host

See Using MSIX application packages, subsection "Adding a package to a host".

Adding a package to a VDI pool

See Using MSIX application packages, subsection "Adding a package to a VDI pool".

Managing applications installed from MSIX packages

The following actions are available from the Task drop-down list:

• Add: Add a new package to the RD Session Host.

• Retry Staging: Manually trigger re-staging of all added packages.

• Refresh: Refresh the list of the packages.

• Delete: Delete the selected package.

Use this tab to configure user profile settings.

To use default settings, select the Inherit default settings option. See .

For complete instructions about configuring user profiles, see

Select or clear the Enable Server in site option to enable or disable the server. A disabled server cannot serve published applications and virtual desktops to clients.

Other elements on this tab are:

• Server: Specifies the server FQDN or IP address.

• Description: An optional server description.

• Change Direct Address: Select this option if you need to change the direct address that Parallels Client uses to establish a direct connection with the RD Session Host.

The Optimization tab allows you to specify settings that will be used to optimize the RD Session Host for best performance in a Parallels RAS environment. You can select Windows components, services, and other options that will be disabled, removed, or optimized to ensure a more efficient, streamlined, and improved delivery of virtual apps and desktops.

To use default settings, select the Inherit default settings option. See Using default settings.

For the complete description, please see Optimization.

The RDP Printer tab allows you to configure the renaming format of redirected printers. The format may vary depending on which version and language of the server you are using.

To use default settings, select the Inherit default settings option. See .

The RDP Printer Name Format drop-down list allows you to select a printer name format specifically for the configured server.

Select the Remove session number from printer name and the Remove client name from printer name options to exclude the corresponding information from the printer name.

The Desktop Access tab allows you to restrict remote desktop access to certain users.

To use default settings, select the Inherit default settings option. See .

By default, all users who have access to remote applications on an RD Session Host can also connect to the server via a standard RDP connection. If you want to restrict remote desktop access to certain users, do the following:

1. On the Desktop Access tab, select the Restrict direct desktop access to the following users option. If you have the Inherit default settings option selected, click the Edit Defaults link to see (and modify if needed) the default configuration. The rest of the steps apply to both the Server Properties and Default Server Properties dialogs.

2. Click the Add button.

3. Select the desired users. To include multiple users, separate them by a semicolon.

4. Click OK.

5. The selected users will appear in the list on the Desktop Access tab.

Users in this list will still be able to access remote applications using Parallels Client, but will be denied direct remote desktop access to this server.

Please note that members of the Administrator group will still be able to connect to the remote desktop even if they are included in this list.

Each RD Session Host in a RAS Farm has an RAS RD Session Host Agent installed through which it communicates with other Parallels RAS components. Use the Agent Settings tab to configure the agent.

To use default settings, select the Inherit default settings option. See .

To configure the agent, set the options as described below.

Application session lingering

• Disconnect active session after: Specifies the amount of time each session remains connected in the background after the user has closed a remote application. This option is used to avoid unnecessary reconnections with the server.

• Logoff disconnected session after: This setting allows you to control how long it takes for a session to be logged off after it is marked as "disconnected".

Other settings

• Port: Specifies a different remote desktop connection port number if a non-default port is configured on the server.

• Max sessions: Specifies the maximum number of sessions.

• Preferred Connection Broker: Select a Connection Broker to which the RD Session Host should connect. This is helpful when Site components are installed in multiple physical locations communicating through WAN. You can decrease network traffic by specifying a more appropriate Connection Broker.

Allow Client URL/Mail redirection

When a user tries to open a URL or an HTML Mailto link in a remote application, the link can be redirected to the client computer and open in a local default application (a web browser or email client) instead of an application on the remote host. To enable this functionality, select the option and click the Configure button. In the dialog that opens, select one of the following:

• Replace Registered Application: This option uses an alternative method of redirecting a link. It replaces the default web browser and mail client with "dummy" apps on the remote server side. By doing so, it can intercept an attempt to open a link and redirect it to the client computer.

• Support Windows Shell URL namespace objects: The Shell URL namespace objects support means that Parallels RAS can intercept actions in published applications that use the Shell namespace API to open links, which is a standard behavior in most applications. The ability to disable support for Shell URL namespace objects is for compatibility with older versions of Parallels RAS. You may disable this option if you want the behavior of an older version of Parallels RAS (RAS v16.2 or earlier).

  Please note that you can configure a list of URLs that should never be redirected, even if the redirection is enabled. This can be done on the Farm > Site > Settings > URL Redirection tab. See more in .

Enable Drag and drop

Allows you to set how the drag and drop functionality works in Parallels Clients. To enable drag and drop, select the option, click the Configure button and then select from the following:

• Server to client only: Drag and drop to a local application, but not in the opposite direction.

• Client to server only: Drag and drop to a remote application only.

• Bidirectional: Note that this option has changed since Parallels RAS 17.1. In the past, it was a checkbox that would enable or disable drag and drop which worked in the "Client to server only" mode. When upgrading from an older version of Parallels RAS, and if the checkbox was enabled, the "Client to server only" option is selected by default. If the option was disabled, the "Disabled" option will be set. You can change it to any of the new available options if you wish.

• Note: At the time of this writing, the drag and drop functionality is only supported on Parallels Client for Windows and Parallels Client for Mac.

Allow 2XRemoteExec to send command to the client

Select this option to allow a process running on the server to instruct the client to deploy an application on the client side. Read more about 2XRemoteExec in the Using RemoteExec subsection at the end of this topic.

Use RemoteApp if available

Enable this option to allow use of remote apps for shell-related issues when an app is not displayed correctly. This feature is supported on the Parallels Client for Windows only.

Manage RDP transport protocol

Select the transport protocol that will be used for connections between Parallels Client and a server. To do this, select this option and click the Configure button.

Enable application monitoring

Enable or disable monitoring of applications on the server. Disabling application monitoring stops the WMI monitoring to reduce CPU usage on the server and network usage while transferring the information to RAS Connection Broker. If the option is enabled, the collected information will appear in a corresponding RAS report. If the option is disabled, the information from this server will be absent from a report.

Allow file transfer command (Web and Chrome clients)

Enable drive redirection cache

Using 2XRemoteExec

2XRemoteExec is a feature that facilitates the servers ability to send commands to the client. This is done using the command line utility 2XRemoteExec.exe. Command line options include:

2XRemoteExec examples:

The following command displays a message box describing the parameters that can be used.

This command runs Notepad on the client.

In this example, the command opens the C:\readme.txt file in the Notepad on the client. No message is shown and 2XRemoteExec would wait for 6 seconds or until the application is started.

To configure User Profile Disks, specify the following settings:

1. When in the host "Properties" dialog, clear the Inherit default settings if you want to specify different settings for this host.

2. In the Technology section, select User profile disk.

3. In the drop-down list, select one of the following:

   • Do not change: Keep the current server settings (default).

   • Enabled: Enable the User Profile Disks functionality.

   • Disabled: Disable the functionality.

4. Click the Configure advanced User Profile Disks settings button to open the User Profile Advanced Settings dialog.

5. On the Disk tab, specify the following:

   • Disk location: If you selected Enabled in the previous step, specify a network location where the User Profile Disks should be created. Use the Microsoft Windows UNC format to specify a location (e.g. \\RAS\users\disks). Please note that the server must have full control permissions on the disk share.

   • Maximum size: Enter the maximum allowed disk size (in gigabytes).

6. On the Folders tab, specify the following:

   • Store all user settings and data on the user profile disk: All folders, except those specified in the exclusion list, will be stored on the user profile disk. To add or remove folders to/from the exclusion list, click the [+] or [-] buttons.

   • Store only the following folders on the user profile disk: Only folders specified in the inclusion lists will be stored on the user profile disk. There are two inclusion lists. The first one contains standard user profile folders (e.g. Desktop, Documents, Downloads, etc.) and allows you to select the folders that you want to include. The second list allows you to specify additional folders. Click the [+] or [-] buttons to add or remove folders.

Note that when you enable User Profile Disks, you need to restart the server for the changes to take effect.

User profile is a collection of settings and application data associated with a specific user. In a non-persistent remote environment, such as Parallels RAS, user profiles must be maintained to provide consistent user experience. This is achieved by storing user profile data in a network location to minimize sign in times and optimize file I/O between host, client, and the profile storage.

Parallels RAS supports the following technologies to manage user profiles:

• User profile disk: [RD Session Hosts only] These are virtual hard disks that store user application data on a dedicated file share. This disk is mounted to the user session as soon as the user signs in to a session host. The disk is unmounted when the user logs out.

• FSLogix: A remote profile solution for non-persistent environments. FSLogix Profile Container redirects the entire user profile to a remote location and maintains user context in non-persistent environments, minimizing sign-in times and providing native profile experience eliminating compatibility issues. FSLogix Profile Container is the preferred profile management solution as the successor of Roaming Profiles and User Profile Disks.

User profiles can be configured for the following:

• RD Session Hosts

• VDI

• Azure Virtual Desktop

User profile settings are configured for the above on the Site level (Site defaults) and can also be configured for individual components if the RAS administrator decides to use custom settings for a given component.

To configure user profile on the Site level, navigate to Farm > Site, click the Tasks > Site defaults menu and choose one of the following:

• RD Session Host

• VDI

• AVD multi-session hosts

• AVD single-session hosts

In a Site defaults dialog that opens, select the User profile tab. The user interface for configuring optimization is the same for all of the above.

The subsequent sections describe in detail how to configure the user profile functionality.

Supported FSLogix releases

Parallels RAS has been tested with FSLogix releases up to and including release 2210 hotfix 2.

Configure installation method

Before you configure FSLogix for a specific server or a template (described later in this guide), you need to configure the FSLogix installation method on the Site level as follows:

1. Navigate to Farm > Site > Settings and select the Features tab. Here you need to select a method that Parallels RAS will use to install FSLogix on individual hosts. You can select from one of the following:

   • Install manually: Select this option if you want to install FSLogix on every host yourself. If this option is selected, Parallels RAS will not attempt to install FSLogix on a host.

   • Install online: This option installs FSLogix on session hosts from the Internet. Select one of the supported FSLogix versions from the drop-down list or select Custom URL and specify a download URL. Click the Detect latest button to automatically obtain a URL of the latest FSLogix version.

   • Install from a network share: Select this option if you have the FSLogix installation files on a network share and specify its location.

   • Push from RAS Connection Broker: This option allows you to upload the FSLogix installation archive to the RAS Connection Broker server. When you enable FSLogix on a session host, it will be push installed on the host from the RAS Connection Broker server.

2. When done, click Apply in the RAS Console to apply your changes to Parallels RAS.

Upgrade FSLogix

The dialog described above can also be used to upgrade FSLogix to a newer version. To upgrade, do one of the following:

• Select Install online and choose from one of the provided FSLogix builds or specify a custom URL. The Detect latest button obtains a URL for the latest stable FSLogix build.

• Download a new version from the Microsoft website, place it on a network share or upload it to the RAS Connection Broker server and then select Install from a network share or Push from RAS Connection Broker, whichever applies.

If FSLogix is already installed on one or more hosts and a new version of FSLogix becomes available when you do one of the above, FSLogix will be upgraded on hosts that have it installed. Note that if you specify a version that is earlier than the version installed on a host, then FSLogix will be downgraded.

Configure Site defaults and hosts for FSLogix

To configure Site defaults or individual hosts for FSLogix, do one of the following:

• For Site defaults, navigate to Farm > Site and click Tasks > Site defaults > RD Session Hosts (or VDI to configure defaults for VDI, or one of the AVD options to configure site defaults for Azure Virtual Desktop).

• To configure individual hosts, navigate to Farm > Site > RD Session Hosts. Right-click a host and choose Properties.

• When you add an RD Session Host to a Farm, the FSLogix settings are specified on the User profile page.

In the Site defaults or Properties dialog, select the User profile tab and specify the following options:

1. If you are in the host Properties dialog (or in a wizard where you add a new host or template), clear the Inherit default settings option if you want to specify different settings for this host.

2. In the Technology section, select FSLogix.

3. The Deployment method field shows the currently set deployment method as configured on the Site level (see the description above). You can click the Change... link and select a different method. Note that this will modify the Site setting, which will change it for all hosts in the Site.

4. If you want to use Profile Containers, select the Use Profile Containers options. Click the Configure button to configure settings:

   • Users and Groups tab: Specify include and exclude user and group lists. By default, Everyone is added to the FSLogix profile include list. If you want some user profiles remain local, you can add those users to the exclude list. Users and group can exist in both lists but exclude takes priority.

   • Folders tab: Specify include and exclude lists for folders. You can select from common folders or you can specify your own. Please note that folders must reside in user profile path.

   • Disks tab: Specify the settings of the profile disk. Location type: Select a location type for profile disks (SMB Location or Cloud Cache) and then specify one or more locations. Location of profile disks: Location(s) of profile disks. These are the locations of VHD(X) files (the VHDLocations setting in the registry as specified in the FSLogix documentation). Profile disk format: Select from VHD or VHDX according to your requirements. VHDX is a newer format and has more features. Allocation type: Select Dynamic or Full. This setting is used in conjunction with the Default size setting (see below) to manage the size of a profile. Dynamic causes the profile container to use the minimum space on disk, regardless of the allocated Default size. As a user profile is filled with more data, the amount of data on disk will grow up to the size specified in Default size, but will never exceed it. Default size: Specifies the size of newly created VHD(X) in megabytes.

   • Advanced tab: This tab allows you to modify advanced FSLogix registry settings. To modify a setting, select it and click Tasks > Edit. By default, the settings are disabled. To enable a setting, select the checkbox in front of its name. A description for each setting is provided in the RAS console. For further information regarding FSLogix Profile Containers configurations, visit https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/fslogix/profile-container-configuration-reference.

5. If you want to use Office Containers, select the Use Office Containers options. Click the Configure button to configure settings:

   • Users and Groups tab: Same as above.

   • Disks tab: Same as above.

   • Advanced tab: Same as above.

6. Click the Configure general settings button to configure FSLogix settings for all types of containers:

   • App Services tab: This tab allows you to modify advanced FSLogix registry settings. For more information about these settings, see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fslogix/reference-configuration-settings?tabs=profiles#app-services-settings.

   • Cloud Cache tab: This tab allows you to modify Cloud Cache settings. For more information about these settings, see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fslogix/reference-configuration-settings?tabs=ccd#fslogix-settings-profile-odfc-cloud-cache-logging.

   • Logging tab: This tab allows you to modify logging settings for profile containers. For more information about these settings, see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fslogix/reference-configuration-settings?tabs=logging#fslogix-settings-profile-odfc-cloud-cache-logging.

Rebooting a host

When you enable FSLogix for a new host while running the wizard, no additional steps are necessary. On wizard completion, the host is rebooted and is added to the active load balancing. An existing host must be rebooted manually using the Tasks > Tools > Reboot menu option.

Make sure to configure the following antivirus exclusions for FSLogix Profile Container virtual hard drives. Make sure to check the following information with your security team.

Exclude files:

• %Programfiles%\FSLogix\Apps\frxdrv.sys

• %Programfiles%\FSLogix\Apps\frxdrvvt.sys

• %Programfiles%\FSLogix\Apps\frxccd.sys

• %TEMP%*.VHD

• %TEMP%*.VHDX

• %Windir%\TEMP*.VHD

• %Windir%\TEMP*.VHDX

• \\storageaccount.file.core.windows.net\share**.VHD

• \\storageaccount.file.core.windows.net\share**.VHDX

Exclude processes:

• %Programfiles%\FSLogix\Apps\frxccd.exe

• %Programfiles%\FSLogix\Apps\frxccds.exe

• %Programfiles%\FSLogix\Apps\frxsvc.exe

When configuring optimizations, you can specify files and processes to exclude in the Windows Defender ATP category. For more information, please see Optimization.

This topic describes how to configure existing FSLogix Profile Containers to be managed by Parallels RAS. FSLogix Profile Container configuration defines how and where the profile is redirected. Normally, you configure profiles through registry settings and GPO. Parallels RAS gives you the ability to configure profiles from the Parallels RAS Console or RAS Management Portal without using external tools.

Before you begin

Before you configure FSLogix Profile Containers in Parallels RAS, make note of the following:

• You don't have to change the profiles themselves; existing profiles stay the same.

• You can keep using your existing FSLogix Profile Container locations, such as SMB network shares or Cloud Cache.

Preliminary steps

Perform the following preliminary steps:

1. Back up your existing profiles. It is highly unlikely that profile data can be lost or corrupted, but it is best practice to have a valid backup prior to any change in profile configuration.

2. Turn off the GPO configuration of FSLogix Profile Containers. This step is important because you cannot have both GPO and Parallels RAS management of FSLogix profiles enabled at the same time.

3. Before configuring FSLogix profiles for a host in a RAS Farm, make sure there are no user sessions running on the host. As a suggestion, you can make the transition in a maintenance window out of working hours.

Replicate GPO and FSLogix configuration

To configure existing FSLogix Profile Containers in Parallels RAS, you need to replicate your existing GPO to the FSLogix configuration in Parallels RAS. This can be done in the Parallels RAS Console or the Parallels RAS Management Portal.

To configure profiles in the RAS Console:

1. Follow the instruction from the FSLogix Profile Containers section and open the Disks tab.

2. In the Location of profile disks list box, specify existing SMB or Cloud Cache locations where you keep your FSLogix profiles. Also, specify the profile disk format, allocation type, and default size.

3. Configure the rest of FSLogix settings you may have on your servers, such as user exclusions, folder exclusions, and others.

To configure profiles in the RAS Management Portal:

1. Navigate to Infrastructure > RD Session Hosts.

2. Click a host in the list and then click Properties.

3. In the middle pane, click User Profile.

4. Specify the settings as described in steps above for the RAS Console.

Please note that at the time of this writing RAS Management Portal can only be used to configure RD Session Hosts to use FSLogix Profile Containers. For other host types, please use the desktop-based RAS Console.

Recommendations and testing

When performing steps in the previous section, do not configure multiple (or all) servers in a RAS Farm right away. Begin with a single server (e.g. an RD Session Host) and then test it with a single user connection. After that, configure some other servers and test the same user logging in to multiple servers consecutively to confirm the profile is loaded and personalization is retained irrespective of a session host. If all is good, configure other hosts, host pools, or Site defaults.

Your RAS users can now connect to Parallels RAS using pre-existing FSLogix Profile Containers, which are now managed centrally through Parallels RAS.

This topic explains the Enable drive redirection cache option, which is available in a dialog where you configure RAS RD Session Host, VDI, Azure Virtual Desktop, or Remote PC agents. When the option is enabled, browsing folders on redirected drives becomes much faster thanks to the caching mechanism explained below.

Native RDP is not efficient for file and folder enumeration when using drive redirection, which results in slow and sluggish user experience. The Enable drive redirection cache option forces the session host to run the kernel-based driver (RasRdpFs). This optimizes how the communication is carried out compared to standard RDP and also adds caching of the folder structure on the session host (RDSH, VDI, or Azure Virtual Desktop). The driver starts as soon as the setting is pushed to the session host via Apply in the RAS Console. When this happens, all new sessions will have this functionality enabled. The existing sessions need to be reconnected to use this optimization.

Notes

• A session host must run a 64-bit operating system.

• The cache is per session and is paged into the driver memory.

• On log off or disconnect, the cache is purged.

• If the number of cached folders in the session exceeds the threshold, and the user accesses a new non-cached folder, then the oldest accessed folder is replaced in the cache.

• When the option is switched off, all currently active user sessions will lose the cache (the driver is stopped and the cache is purged). This happens transparently to the user, but file and folder enumeration become slow.

• When the option is switched on, all currently active user sessions will not automatically have the cache enabled. To use this functionality, the existing sessions will need to be reconnected.

Limitations

• The option is applicable only to sessions initiated by the following versions of Parallels Client:

  • Parallels Client for Windows versions 18 and later

  • Parallels Client for macOS versions 19 and later

• Similar to native RDP changes made on the client side (in a remote session), requires manual refresh (F5) in a redirected folder on the server side.

Beginning with version 18, Parallels RAS includes built-in automated optimization capabilities for RD Session Hosts, VDI, and Azure Virtual Desktop workloads. Different preconfigured optimizations for multi-session (such as RD Session Hosts) or single-session (such as VDI) hosts are available for administrators to choose from manually or automatically to ensure a more efficient, streamlined and improved delivery of virtual apps and desktops.

Preconfigured optimizations were designed to be easily updated to support future releases of Microsoft Windows. Moreover, custom scripts may also be used within the tool to make use of already available optimizations to be deployed on Parallels RAS workload machines.

Over 130 image optimizations are available out-of-the-box and divided into the following main categories:

• UWP application packages (removal; available for VDI only)

• Windows Defender ATP (turn ON or OFF, disable real-time scan, exclude files, folder, processes, and extensions)

• Windows components (removal)

• Windows services (disable)

• Windows scheduled tasks (disable)

• Windows advanced options (Cortana, system restore, telemetry, custom layout)

• Network performance (disable task offload, ipv6, etc.)

• Registry (service startup timeout, disk I/O timeout, custom, etc.)

• Visual effects (best appearance, best performance, custom)

• Disk cleanup (delete user profiles, image cleanup, etc.)

• Custom scripts (.ps1, .exe, .cmd, and other extensions/formats)

For the complete list of optimization categories and components, please see https://kb.parallels.com/125222.

Optimizations are applicable to RD Session Hosts, VDI desktops, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Remote PC pools (through VDI) based on:

• Windows Server 2012 R2 and later

• Windows 7 SP1

• Windows 10

• Windows 11

Configure optimization

Optimization can be configured for the following:

• RD Session Hosts

• VDI

• Azure Virtual Desktop

Optimization settings are configured for the above on the Site level (Site defaults) and can also be configured for individual components if the RAS administrator decides to use custom settings for a given component.

To configure optimizations on the Site level, navigate to Farm > Site, click the Tasks > Site defaults menu and choose one of the following:

• RD Session Host

• VDI

• AVD multi-session hosts

• AVD single-session hosts

In a Site defaults dialog that opens, select the Optimization tab. The user interface for configuring optimization is the same for all of the above.

To configure optimization:

1. If you are in the host Properties dialog or in a wizard, clear the Inherit default settings options if you want to modify them for this host.

2. Select the Enable optimization option.

3. Choose optimization type from the following:

   • Automatic: Predefined and preconfigured optimization will be used automatically.

   • Manual: Gives you full control over which optimization options to use and allows you to configure each one. This option also gives you an option to use a custom optimization script that will be executed on the host.

4. If you selected Manual in the previous step, configure optimization categories and components according to your requirements. See Configure optimization below.

5. Force optimization on all enabled categories: This is a special option that should only be used in situations when some parts of optimization failed to apply to a host for some unforeseen reason (e.g. the host went offline unexpectedly). When you select this option, then click OK and then Apply in the RAS Console, the entire optimization configuration will be applied to the host. This way you can make sure that changes that you made to optimization components last time, and that were not applied to the host, will be applied again. The state of the Force optimization on all enabled categories option (selected or cleared) is not saved because this is a one-time action, so the next time you open the dialog, the option will be cleared again. Note that in a standard scenario, when you make changes and then apply them to a host, you don't need to select this option, because normally you want to apply just the changes that you made, not the entire optimization configuration.

6. The Category list contains optimization categories that can be configured. To include a category in optimization, select the corresponding checkbox. Some categories contain multiple components, which can be configured individually, some have settings that can be customized. To configure category settings or components, highlight the category and click the gear icon (or click Tasks > Properties, or simply double-click a category). Depending on the category selected, you can do the following:

   • Configure category settings (choose from available options, select or clear individual settings, specify values, add or remove entries).

   • Add or remove underlying components to include or exclude them from optimization (use the plus- and minus-sign icons). When adding a component (where available), you can select from a predefined list or you can specify a custom component.

   • In some cases (specifically registry entries) you can double-click an entry and specify multiple values for it.

   • If you remove a predefined component, you can always get it back in the list by clicking Tasks > Reset to default. You can also use this menu to reset category settings to default values if they were modified.

   • The last optimization category in the list is Custom script. You can use it to execute an optimization script that you may have available. Read the Using custom script subsection below for details.

7. When done, click OK to close the dialog.

Using custom script

The Custom script optimization category is used to execute an optimization script on a target host. Before configuring this category, make sure that the script exists on target hosts and that the path and file name are the same on each host.

To configure the Custom script optimization:

1. Enable the Custom script category in the list (select the checkbox), then highlight it and click Tasks > Properties.

2. In the dialog that opens, specify the command to execute, arguments (if required), the initial directory, and credentials that will be used to execute the script.

3. Click OK.

When you apply the optimization to a host, the script will be executed as part of applying other optimization parameters.

Applying optimization

After you enable optimization for a host and then click Apply in the RAS Console, the following will happen the next time the host communicates with Parallels RAS:

1. The host status changes to Optimization pending and the host enters the drain mode. At this stage, you can stop optimization by selecting a host in the list and clicking Tasks > Stop optimization.

2. Once all users are logged off, the host status changes to Optimization in progress.

3. After all optimization settings are applied, the host will reboot.

4. After the reboot, the host returns to operation and its status changes to OK.

Optimization results are logged on a host at the following location: %ProgramData%\Parallels\RASLogs\ImageOptimizer.log. Open the file and search for entries similar to the following:

• [I 78/00000009/T10C4/P0FD4] 11-30-20 10:09:19 - Image Optimization completed with 98 successful and 0 unsuccessful optimizations.

Upgrade

When Parallels RAS is upgraded from an older version:

• The optimization feature is disabled.

• The inheritance is off.

To use optimization after the upgrade, the administrator needs to enable it manually either in Site defaults or in the host pool/host pool settings.

Inheritance

Additional information

Please note the following:

• Some optimizations may fail and generate warnings if they had been already applied.

• Some optimizations may fail and generate warnings depending on OS specifics. For example, removal of UWP apps may fail because apps are already absent.

Please see .

An RD Session Host is monitored and logs are created containing relevant information. To configure logging and retrieve or clear existing log files, right-click a host, choose Troubleshooting > Logging in the context menu, and then click Configure, Retrieve, or Clear depending on what you want to do. For the information on how to perform these tasks, see the section.

You can perform standard computer management tasks on an RD Session Host right from the RAS Console. These include Remote Desktop Connection, PowerShell, Computer Management, Service Management, Event Viewer, IPconfig, Reboot, and others. To access the Tools menu, select a host, click Tasks (or right-click) > Tools and choose a desired tool. For requirements and usage information, see Computer management tools.

When adding RD Session Hosts to a Site, the N+1 redundancy approach should be used to ensure uninterrupted service to your users. This is a general rule that also applies to other Parallels RAS components, such as Connection Brokers, RAS Secure Gateways, or possibly Providers.

The logon management feature allows you to enable or disable logons from RD Session Hosts. The feature performs the same tasks as the change logon command-line utility.

To manage logons:

1. In the Parallels RAS Console, navigate to Farm > <Site> > RD Session Hosts.

2. Select an RD Session Host, click Tasks > Control and choose one of the following:

   • Enable logons: Enables logons from client sessions, but not from the console. This option performs the same action as the change logon /enable command.

   • Disable logons: Disables subsequent logons from client sessions, but not from the console. Does not affect currently logged on users. This option performs the same action as change logon /disable command.

   • Drain: Disables logons from new client sessions, but allows reconnections to existing sessions. Drain is kept even after reboot until the admin enables logons.

     Note that while a host is in drain mode, administrators may still log on to the physical console or remotely log on using the /admin or /console command-line option for MSTSC. This allows administrators to remotely maintain the RDS host via Tools > Remote Desktop.

   • Drain until reboot: Disables logons from new client sessions until the computer is restarted, but allows reconnections to existing sessions. Drain is kept until the host is restarted. Same action as the change logon /drainuntilrestart command.

To see the current logon control mode for an RD Session Host, click Tasks > Control. The checked-out option indicates the current logon control mode of the selected RD Session Host. To do this check from the command line, execute the change logon /QUERY command on the host.

Please also note the following:

• When applying a logon control mode on a host, ensure that the agent status is updated accordingly.

• You must set the logon control options for the hosts one-by-one. If you need to do it for a group of hosts, you can use the scheduler (see Using scheduler).

• /Drain disables logons from new client sessions, but allows reconnections to existing sessions. Drain differs from Drainuntilrestart as far as it requires administrator intervention whereas the latter enables logons automatically after restart.

• Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates / Windows Components / Remote Desktop Services / Remote Desktop Session Host / Connection / Allow users to connect remotely using remote desktop services must be set to Not configured, otherwise it takes precedence.

The Scheduler tab allows you to create scheduler tasks that will be performed on individual hosts or host pools at a specified time.

Disabling hosts and hosts in pools

To disable a host or a host in a pool:

1. Click Tasks > Add > Disable host or Disable host pool.

2. On the General tab, select the Enable Schedule option.

3. Specify a name for this schedule and an optional description.

4. Select a host or a pool in the Available list and click Add. The host or pool will appear in the Target list.

5. Select the Trigger tab and specify start date and time, duration, and recurrence settings for this event. To make this a one-time event, select Never in the Recur drop-down list.

6. Select the Options tab. It contains the following options:

   • Message list: Configure a message that will be sent to users before the host goes offline. Click Tasks > Add and specify the message title, body, and the time period when it should be sent.

   • On disable: Specify what should happen to current sessions when a scheduled task triggers. Select the desired option from the On disable drop-down list.

   • Enforce schedule for currently inactive hosts: This option is only enabled when you have an active message in the list. If the option is enabled, hosts that are currently offline are also monitored, and if such a server comes back online during the scheduled task execution, the task is applied to it too.

7. Click OK to save the schedule.

Rebooting hosts and hosts in pools

To reboot a host or a host in a pool:

1. Click Tasks > Add > Reboot host or Reboot host pool.

2. On the General tab, select the Enable Schedule option.

3. Specify a name for this schedule and an optional description.

4. Select a host or a pool in the Available list and click Add. The host or pool will appear in the Target list.

5. Select the Trigger tab and specify start date, time, and recurrence settings for this event. To make this a one-time event, select Never in the Recur drop-down list. In addition, specify the following options for the "Reboot host pool" task:

   • Complete in: Specify the time to complete the task.

6. Select the Options tab. It contains the following options:

   • Message list: Configure a message that will be sent to users before the host is rebooted. Click Tasks > Add and specify the message title, body, and the time period when it should be sent.

   • Enable Drain Mode and Force server reboot after: The two options work together. If you select the Enable Drain Mode option, then when the task triggers, new connections to a host are refused but active connections will continue to run and can be reconnected. The server will be rebooted when all active users close their sessions or when Force server reboot after time is reached, whichever comes first. For active users not to lose their work, create a message that will advise them to save their work and log off.

   • Enforce schedule for currently inactive hosts: This option is only enabled when you have an active message in the list. If the option is enabled, hosts that are currently offline are also monitored, and if such a server comes back online during the scheduled task execution, the task is applied to it too.

7. Click OK to save the schedule.

Starting up hosts and hosts in pools

To start up a host or a host in a pool:

1. Click Tasks > Add > Startup host or Startup host pool.

2. On the General tab, select the Enable Schedule option.

3. Specify a name for this schedule and an optional description.

4. Select a host or a pool in the Available list and click Add. The host or pool will appear in the Target list.

5. Select the Trigger tab and specify start date, time, and recurrence settings for this event. To make this a one-time event, select Never in the Recur drop-down list.

6. ("Startup host pool" task only) Select the Options tab. It contains the following options:

   • Percentage of members: Select this option to specify the percentage of hosts that must be started up in each pool.

   • Specific number of members to be started: Select this option to specify the number of hosts that must be started up in each pool.

7. Click OK to save the schedule.

Shutting down hosts and hosts in pools

To shut down a host or a host in a pool:

1. Click Tasks > Add > Shutdown host or Shutdown host pool.

2. On the General tab, select the Enable Schedule option.

3. Specify a name for this schedule and an optional description.

4. Select a host or a pool in the Available list and click Add. The host or pool will appear in the Target list.

5. Select the Trigger tab and specify start date, time, and recurrence settings for this event. To make this a one-time event, select Never in the Recur drop-down list.

6. Select the Options tab. It contains the following options:

   • Message list: Configure a message that will be sent to users before the host is rebooted. Click Tasks > Add and specify the message title, body, and the time period when it should be sent.

   • Enable Drain Mode and Force server shutdown after: The two options work together. If you select the Enable Drain Mode option, then when the task triggers, new connections to a host are refused but active connections will continue to run. The server will be shut down when all active users close their sessions or when Force server reboot after time is reached, whichever comes first. For active users not to lose their work, create a message that will advise them to save their work and log off.

   • Enforce schedule for currently inactive hosts: This option is only enabled when you have an active message in the list. If the option is enabled, hosts that are currently offline are also monitored, and if such a server comes back online during the scheduled task execution, the task is applied to it too.

Recreating hosts and host pools

To recreate a specific host or all hosts in a host pool:

1. Click Tasks > Add > Recreate host from template or Recreate host pool from template.

2. On the General tab, select the Enable Schedule option.

3. Specify a name for this schedule and an optional description.

4. Select a host or a pool in the Available list and click Add. The host or pool will appear in the Target list.

5. Select the Trigger tab and specify start date, time, and recurrence settings for this event. To make this a one-time event, select Never in the Recur drop-down list.

6. Select the Options tab. It contains the following options:

   • Message list: Configure a message that will be sent to users before the host is rebooted. Click Tasks > Add and specify the message title, body, and the time period when it should be sent.

   • Enable Drain Mode, Force host recreation after, and Force host pool recreation after: The options work together. If you select the Enable Drain Mode option, then when the task triggers, new connections to a host are refused but active connections will continue to run. The server will be recreated when all active users close their sessions or when the time specified in Force host recreation after or Force host pool recreation after is reached, whichever comes first. For active users not to lose their work, create a message that will advise them to save their work and log off.

   • Enforce schedule for currently inactive hosts: This option is only enabled when you have an active message in the list. If the option is enabled, hosts that are currently offline are also monitored, and if such a server comes back online during the scheduled task execution, the task is applied to it too.

Sending multiple messages to users

For Disable Host and Disable Host Pool tasks, you can only send a message before the scheduled task is triggered. Hence, when creating a message, you can only select the "before" option when specifying when the message should be sent. You can create more than one message if needed and send them at different time intervals, so the users are notified more than once before the task executes.

For Reboot Host and Reboot Host pool tasks, you can send a message before or after the scheduled task is triggered. The "after" option is available for these tasks because you have the ability to enable the drain mode, which will keep the active sessions running for some time. During this time, you can send multiple messages to active users reminding them that they should finish their work and close their sessions. To use the "after" option, the Enable Drain Mode option must be selected. Please also note that the "after" time interval and the Force server reboot after setting should be coordinated. For example, if the force reboot occurs before the "after" time elapses, active users will not have a chance to see the message.

When you want to remove an RD Session Host or an RD Session Host group from a Site, you might want to see the list of published resources hosted by the host or host pool. This way you can see which resources will be affected. You can do so as follows:

1. In the Parallels RAS Console, select Farm \ RD Session hosts.

2. To see published resources for a specific RD Session Host, select the RD Session hosts tab. To see published resources for a group, select the Groups tab.

3. Right-click a host or a host group and choose Show published resources (or click Tasks > Show published resources).

4. The Published Resources window opens displaying the list of published resources for the selected host or host pool. Resource information includes:

   • Name. Resource name.

   • Status. Enabled or disabled.

   • Type. "Application" is used for published applications, URLs, network folders, etc. "Desktop" is used for published desktops.

   • Path. For published applications, specifies a path to the execute file, URL, or UNC path.

   • Parameters. Published application parameters (if any).

   • Published from. Site, host pool(s), or host(s).

5. To refresh the list, press F5 or click the "recycle" icon (top-right).

6. To filter the list, press Ctrl-F or click the magnifying glass icon and then specify the filter criteria for desired column(s).

See .

You can also publish resources using a publishing wizard in the Start category, as described in the section. The Start category publishing wizard is a simplified version that gives you convenient options of selecting the resources that you want to publish. You may try both approaches and choose the one that better suits your needs.