This page describes using Amazon WorkSpaces Core workspaces as the capacity for a Horizon 8 automated farm. A Horizon 8 automated farm consists of Windows Remote Desktop Services (RDS) hosts, that then are used to deliver published desktops, published applications, and multi-session hosts.
The ability to use Amazon WorkSpaces Core as a source for automated farms debuted in Horizon 2506.
For an in-depth article that covers deploying Horizon with Amazon EC2 and Amazon WorkSpaces overall, see Tech Zone's Deploying Omnissa Horizon with Amazon EC2 and Amazon WorkSpaces.
OS Support
As of this writing, the Horizon 8 automated farm provisioning features can be used with:
- AWS provided Public Bring Your Own Protocol (BYOP) bundles for Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2022. Use these to create your own custom server OS bundle and image tailored to your requirements. This Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2022 support is available in AWS regions where Amazon WorkSpaces Core is available.
Terminology
Even though some of the terms used in Amazon WorkSpaces Core are different than the terms used in vSphere, much of the high-level principles are the same.
- Amazon WorkSpaces Bundle - The Amazon WorkSpaces Core bundle is a preconfigured combination of compute, storage, and software resources, and an operating system (image) that you can use to launch a virtual desktop in Amazon WorkSpaces Core.
- Image - A custom image contains only the operating system, installed software, and user-defined settings for the WorkSpace. A custom bundle combines the custom image with the selected hardware specifications—such as compute and storage—that define the configuration of the WorkSpace.
After creating a custom image, you can build a custom bundle by selecting the appropriate compute and storage resources to pair with the image. This custom bundle can then be used to launch new WorkSpaces with a consistent configuration, ensuring standardization across your deployments.
To apply software updates or install additional applications, you can modify your custom bundle and use it to rebuild your WorkSpaces.
When using Amazon WorkSpaces Core, it is a bundle that is provisioned to be an RDS host for the automated farm.
Prerequisites
Before proceeding with the remaining steps in this process, you must complete the following prerequisites.
- An existing or new AWS account that has access for Amazon WorkSpaces Core. If you don't have an account, you can create one using the Amazon Web Services home page.
- The Amazon account must have Bring Your Own License (BYOL) enabled. Refer to the Amazon information at Bring Your Own Windows desktop licenses. In Amazon WorkSpaces, the license and protocol are under your control. When using Amazon Workspaces Core with Horizon 8, the supported protocol is the Blast Extreme protocol, which comes from installing the Horizon Agent.
- A Horizon 8 deployment set up and configured that's supported for this use case. This use case requires having a Horizon 8 deployment running on Amazon EC2 machines. The Connection Server is running in Amazon EC2.
- Ensure you have your Amazon WorkSpaces set up.
- Active Directory - Amazon recommends creating an Active Directory Connector (ADC) for all directories. Horizon 8 does not support Amazon Simple AD. Amazon has this AWS white paper about the role of the AWS AD connector with Amazon WorkSpaces.
- BYOL images imported into your WorkSpaces.
- Ensure you have set up an IAM role that has the appropriate permissions for Horizon 8 Connection Server to access the WorkSpaces resources. Refer to the Amazon information at Identity and management for WorkSpaces. In AWS, policies are sets of permissions that define what actions the IAM role can perform on specific AWS resources.
IAM Permissions
The following required IAM permissions must be provided in the AWS IAM Console:
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When using a Connection Server deployed in Amazon EC2, the IAM role must be added to the Connection Server's EC2 instance in Amazon EC2. The default is to use an instance profile to pass that IAM role to the Connection Server's EC2 instance (also referred to in the AWS documentation as an AWS service role for an EC2 instance).
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When using a Connection Server deployed on-premises or in a public cloud outside of Amazon EC2, you'll need to provide an IAM User's AWS Access Key ID and Secret Access Key when adding a provider. Apply the IAM role with the required permissions to that IAM user and establish the Access Key ID and Secret Access Key.
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On the IAM role for the Connection Server the following policies provide the required permissions:
- AmazonSSMDirectoryServiceAccess (AWS managed policy)
- AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore (AWS managed policy)
- Omnissa-CS-admin (Inline Policy)
{ "Version" : "2012-10-17", "Statement" : [ { "Sid" : "AmazonWorkSpacesAdmin", "Effect" : "Allow", "Action" : [ "kms:DescribeKey", "kms:ListAliases", "kms:ListKeys", "workspaces:CreateTags", "workspaces:CreateWorkspaceImage", "workspaces:CreateWorkspaces", "workspaces:CreateStandbyWorkspaces", "workspaces:DeleteTags", "workspaces:DeregisterWorkspaceDirectory", "workspaces:DescribeTags", "workspaces:DescribeWorkspaceBundles", "workspaces:DescribeWorkspaceDirectories", "workspaces:DescribeWorkspaces", "workspaces:DescribeWorkspacesConnectionStatus", "workspaces:ModifyCertificateBasedAuthProperties", "workspaces:ModifySamlProperties", "workspaces:ModifyWorkspaceCreationProperties", "workspaces:ModifyWorkspaceProperties", "workspaces:RebootWorkspaces", "workspaces:RebuildWorkspaces", "workspaces:RegisterWorkspaceDirectory", "workspaces:RestoreWorkspace", "workspaces:StartWorkspaces", "workspaces:StopWorkspaces", "workspaces:TerminateWorkspaces", "workspaces:UpdateWorkspaceBundle", "workspaces:DescribeWorkspaceImages" ], "Resource" : "*" } ] }
For general information about installing Horizon 8 environments, see the Horizon 8 Installation and Upgrade Guide. When you want to deploy a Horizon 8 infrastructure in Amazon EC2, you can find detailed information in Tech Zone at Deploying Horizon Infrastructure on Amazon EC2 Machines.
What to read next
| Information | Description |
|---|---|
| Amazon Workspaces Core – Add as a Capacity Provider in Horizon Console | Provides the process for configuring communication between Horizon 8 and Amazon Workspaces Core. |
| Amazon Workspaces Core – Create the Windows Server Public Bundle Golden Pattern | Provides the process for creating the Windows Server OS Golden Image pattern. |
| Amazon Workspaces Core - Worksheet for Creating an Automated Farm in Horizon | Provides the checklist for creating an automated farm using the farm wizard in Horizon Console. |
| Creating an Automated Farm in Horizon | Provides the process for creating an automated farm in Horizon Console. |
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