This article provides information on how to manage the servers in the grid.

Table of Contents

Changing Hypervisor, Active Directory or Domain Controller Credentials

Bringing a Server Down for Maintenance

Adding a Server to the Grid

Deactivating a Server

Quiescing a Server

Shutting down a Server

Applying Software Patches to the Grid

Upgrading the Grid License

Restarting the vdiManager Services

Assigning Static Address to a Server in the Grid

Removing a Server from the Grid

Resetting a Server to Factory Settings

Removing the vdiManager Appliance from the Host

Changing Hypervisor, Active Directory or Domain Controller Credentials

When configuring a VDI-in-a-Box server, connect it to a hypervisor and the Active Directory, prepare an image, and specify the account credentials. If these credentials change, immediately update the VDI-in-a-Box server configuration parameters. For environments where account credentials are changed regularly, it is recommended to use accounts that remain fixed.

Bringing a Server Down for Maintenance

Taking a Server down for maintenance requires some planning to ensure that users are not affected. Following are the suggested steps to be adhered to.

Planning and Informing Users

1. Identify users currently logged on to virtual desktops that are running on that vdiServer.

2. Do this by navigating to the Desktops > User Sessions sub-tab and search by ‘Server’.

   Coordinate the downtime with the users before bringing the server down for maintenance.

   Ensure there are no image transfer activities happening at this time.

   When deactivating a vdiServer, this vdiServer’s desktop load will be picked up by the rest of the vdiServers in the grid and will be load balanced across all the other active vdiServers in the vdiGrid.

   For example, a vdiServer has 10 desktops running on it. Now when the vdiServer goes into the Deactivated state, vdiManager will automatically start 10 desktops across the rest of the vdiServers in the vdiGrid. So, ensure the rest of the vdiServers in the vdiGrid can handle the extra load. If not, alter the Max/Prestart numbers of all the templates to take into account the loss of capacity that will result from taking the vdiServer offline.

Deactivating the Server

You can now opt to deactivate (immediate shutdown of all desktops) or quiesce (gradual shutdown once all users log out) the vdiServer. 

Shutting down a Server

You can now opt to shut down the Server to turn the vdiManager services off on that vdiServer before bringing it down for maintenance.

Adding a Server to the Grid

VDI-in-a-Box makes adding servers to the grid very simple. The steps are:

1. Prepare a server.

2. Install a hypervisor on a bare metal server.

3. Import and switch on the VDI-in-a-Box appliance (which contains the VDI-in-a-Box Manager (vdiManager) software.

   Note the IP address of the VDI-in-a-Box appliance.

   Use a browser to login to the server and follow directions.

3. Configure the hypervisor, select Join a grid and specify the IP address and credentials of any vdiManager already in the grid that is being joined.

   After completing these steps, the server will be automatically configured and provisioned by the existing servers in the grid. Navigate to the Server tab and click folder icon of the newly joined server to see the status of all the images being sent to it. Click folder icon of the existing servers to determine which server is sending images.

   Note: Desktops from other servers will not be migrated to the new server. As users logout and new desktops are generated, they will be created on the new server.

Deactivating a Server

Deactivating a server causes it to delete all desktops including those in use. Neither templates nor images are deleted or changed. A deactivated server is still attached to the grid but it does not run any desktops. Deactivate a server when you want to bring it down for maintenance. 

To deactivate a server, navigate to the Server tab, click the specific server and select Deactivate.

Quiescing a Server

The Quiesce option provides a graceful shutdown and avoids forced logout of users on the server. Quiescing a server causes it to delete all unused desktops and eliminate in-use desktops after users logout. After all the users have logged out, the server reverts to the Deactive state. Neither templates nor images are deleted. 

Shutting down a Server

The Shutdown option provides a way to shutdown the vdiManager services on this server prior to any maintenance activities on that server. 

Note: After the server is in a Shutdown state, desktops will not be provisioned on this server and images will not be distributed to this server.

Review the section Bringing the server down for maintenance before performing this operation. This operation will only switch off the vdiManger services inside the VM. In order to completely switch off the vdiManager VM, you must carry this operation through the hypervisor management console. Similarly, restarting or switching on the vdiManager VM from the hypervisor management console switches on the vdiManager services and brings the server status back to the Activated state. 

To quiesce a server, navigate to the Server tab, click the specific server and select Quiesce.

Applying Software Patches to the Grid

When applying patches to the grid, follow the corresponding hotfix KB articles for detailed instructions.

Upgrading the Grid License

Upgrade the license to go from the trial version to a fully paid license or to increase the number of concurrent users. To upgrade the license, navigate to the Admin tab, click Grid Upgrade link, and browse to and select the license file.

Restarting the vdiManager Services

The VDI-in-a-Box vdiManager service can be restarted by navigating to the Server tab, selecting the server and clicking Restart. This does not restart the VDI-in-a-Box vdiManager appliance VM or the hypervisor. Desktops running on the vdiServer are not affected and will continue to operate.

Assigning Static Address to vdiManager

This can be accomplished by clicking the Server tab, the server name, and then Modify.

Before you assign static address to vdiManager, ensure you observe the following pre-requisites:

• The server should not be running any desktops. Deactivate the server before performing this operation.

• Shutdown any draft or test desktop on this server.

• Ensure to assign a static IP address that is not been assigned before.

Removing a Server from the Grid

When you remove a server from the Grid, it leaves the old Grid to become a singleton server in its own new Grid. It will not share the load or will no longer be connected to the rest of the servers in the grid.

Best Practice

Before removing a server from the Grid, Deactivate the server to get rid off all the desktops running on it. Refer to the topic Deactivate a Server for additional details.

Resetting a Server to Factory Settings

This operation will not be allowed on a server that is part of an existing grid. In order to reset a server, you must first remove it from an existing grid. You can do this by following the instructions to Remove a Server from the grid. This operation is irreversible. Resetting a server will delete all the desktops including those that are being used by the users, templates, images, environment information from the grid and will bring the server to its factory settings.

Note: The base image files physically stored on the datastore of the hypervisor will also be deleted as part of this reset process.

Best Practice

Before resetting a server from the grid, navigate to the Servers tab and ensure that only one server is visible and ensure that this is the server that you are planning to reset. You must be using the corresponding vdiManager’s management console to view the server that you are resetting.

To reset a server from the grid, click Admin tab, click Reset Server under the Sever section.

Removing the vdiManager Appliance from the Host

To remove the vdiManager appliance from the host and to ensure removal of all the image folders that was created on this host by the grid, complete the following steps.

1. If this Server is part of an existing Grid, remove it from the existing Grid. Follow the instructions to Remove a Server from the Grid to carry out this operation.

2. Reset the server to factory settings by following the instructions Resetting a Server to factory settings to remove all the desktops and image folders.

3. Shutdown the vdiManager VM from the hypervisor VM console.

4. Remove the vdiManager VM from the host.