Workflow of App Volumes for Amazon AppStream 2.0

To deploy Omnissa App Volumes in Amazon AppStream 2.0, you must set up an Active Directory and file share, install App Volumes Manager in a persistent Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instance, and install App Volumes agent in the Amazon AppStream 2.0 service.

It is recommended to use Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) t3.xlarge instance.

AWS services such as AWS Managed Microsoft AD and Amazon FSx, App Volumes Manager, and App Volumes agent are required for deploying App Volumes. This task gives you an overview of the steps that are necessary for this deployment.

At the end of the deployment, to create and manage applications and packages, you can use App Volumes workflows as described in the App Volumes documentation.

App Volumes documentation is available at Omnissa Product Documentation.

Note: When using any of the AWS services mentioned in this task, see the relevant AWS documentation.

Prerequisites

Ensure that you are aware of the requirements necessary for deploying App Volumes in the AppStream 2.0 service.

For more information about these requirements, see Preparing for App Volumes for Amazon AppStream 2.0.

Procedure

1. Log into your AWS account.

2. Set up AWS Managed Microsoft AD.

   Note: Ensure that the AWS Managed Microsoft AD is created in the targeted Availability Zone and subnet in the Virtual Private Cloud (VPC).

3. To create a domain-joined Windows file share, use Amazon FSx.

   • Associate the file share with a security group that allows inbound SMB traffic over TCP at port 445 and custom TCP port, with the protocol as TCP and at port 8080.

   • Ensure that you apply NTFS folder permissions required by App Volumes to the newly created file share.

     For more information about these permissions, see the Configurations Required When Hypervisor Connection Type is VHD In-Guest Services section in the App Volumes 4 Administration Guide at Omnissa Product Documentation.

4. Perform the following steps in the AWS console:

   1. Create a security group.

   2. Enable port 443 for HTTPS.

   Enabling the port for HTTPS ensures that App Volumes Manager and App Volumes agent communicate with each other.

5. Install App Volumes Manager in an Amazon EC2 instance.

   For the install procedure, see Install App Volumes Manager section in the Omnissa App Volumes 4 Installation Guide at Omnissa Product Documentation.

6. Configure App Volumes Manager.

   For more information about configuring App Volumes Manager, see the Configuring App Volumes Manager section in the Omnissa App Volumes 4 Administration Guide at Omnissa Product Documentation.

7. Install App Volumes agent in an Amazon EC2 instance.

   For the install procedure, see Install App Volumes Agent section in the Omnissa App Volumes 4 Installation Guide at Omnissa Product Documentation.

8. Assign the previously created security group to App Volumes Manager and App Volumes agent.

9. For packaging, assigning, and testing the captured application, take snapshots of the App Volumes agent EC2 instance.

   The snapshots allow you to revert between application captures.

10. Install App Volumes agent in the AppStream 2.0 service.

    1. To create a Windows instance bound to the AWS Managed Microsoft AD, use the image builder in the AppStream 2.0 service.

    2. Associate the previously created security group with this Windows instance.

       The security group allows the HTTPS traffic on port 443.

    3. Connect to the Windows instance.

    4. Install App Volumes agent.

    5. In the machine where App Volumes agent is installed, configure the following parameters:

       1. Navigate to HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\svdriver\Parameters and add *\start-amazon-cloudwatch-agent.exe||* to the HookInjectionWhitelist parameter.

          Configuring this parameter ensures that you are able to use the Connect button in the AppStream 2.0 service console and connect to the image. For information about this svdriver parameter, see Configuration of svdriver in the Omnissa App Volumes 4 Administration Guide at Omnissa Product Documentation.

       2. Navigate to HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\svservice\Parameters and set the value of DelayVirtualizationType parameter to 1.

          Configuring this parameter to that specific value ensures that the applications are virtualized after the end user enters the login credentials. For information about this svservice parameter, see Configuration of svservice in the Omnissa App Volumes 4 Administration Guide at Omnissa Product Documentation.

    6. Restart the Windows instance.

11. To enable dynamic app providers, perform the following steps:

    1. Connect to the Windows instance created in the previous step.

    2. Navigate to C:\ProgramData\Amazon\AppStream\AppCatalogHelper\DynamicAppCatalog\ and open the Agents.json configuration file.

    3. Update the DisplayName to App Volumes Agent.

    4. Update the path to the location where App Volumes agent is installed in the previous step.

       The default installation location is C:\\Program Files (x86)\\CloudVolumes\\Agent.

    5. Open AppStream 2.0 Image Assistant on the desktop.

    6. Select Enable dynamic app providers.

    7. To complete the image creation, proceed through the remaining steps in the AppStream 2.0 Image Assistant.

12. In the AppStream 2.0 service, use the image created from the previous step and create a fleet.

13. Create a stack and associate the fleet with the stack.

14. Set up SAML 2.0 to allow domain users to access the AppStream 2.0 stack.

    To set up SAML 2.0, see User Authentication > SAML 2.0 Integration > Setting up SAML in the Amazon AppStream 2.0 Administration Guide.

    App Volumes is ready to deliver and manage applications.

15. To validate the application delivery and launch flow, perform the following steps:

    1. Connect to App Volumes Manager and assign applications to the domain user.

       To assign an application, see the Assign an Application to an Entity section in the Omnissa App Volumes 4 Administration Guide.

    2. Log into the AppStream 2.0 stack as the domain user.

       Application icons are updated in the AppStream 2.0 application catalog.

    3. To launch an application, click an icon.

What to do next

To perform other tasks in App Volumes Manager admin UI, see the App Volumes 4 Administration Guide. Here are a few examples:

• To create a packaged application, see the Create an Application section.

• If you already have .vhd application packages created in another App Volumes Manager deployment, you can import these packages to the current deployment.

  For more information about importing application packages, see the Import an Application to App Volumes section.