Skip to main content

March 13, 2025

Manage Desktops in a Dedicated or Floating Desktop Assignment

You can manage desktops in dedicated and floating desktop assignments.

Note: For session desktop assignments, the assignments are only used for entitling access to the RDS-based desktop, and not for management of the desktops. To manage session desktops, you manage the servers and sessions in the underlying farm. See #.

Procedure

  1. Click Assignments in the left menu.

    The Assignments page displays.

  2. Click the name of an assignment on the list.

    The assignments details page displays.

  3. Click Desktops at the top of the page.

    The Desktops tab displays, showing a list of desktops for the assignment. You can filter, refresh, and export the list using the controls to the top right of the page.

    You can perform the following actions by clicking one of the buttons at the top of the page.

    Note: Desktop status must be green to perform these actions.

    Attention: Not all options described below are available for all types of assignments.

    OptionDescription
    RestartPerforms a 'graceful' restart of one or more VMs . You can select more than one desktop at a time. If the Restart option does not work, it might be necessary to use the Reset option (see below).
    ShutdownShuts down one or more desktops.
    • You can select more than one desktop at a time.
    • You can only shut down VMs that do not have active user sessions.
    Assign[Dedicated desktop only] Assigns dedicated desktop to a particular user. Click the button and then search for the user in the Active Directory.
    Roll Back[Dedicated desktop only] Rolls back to the previous agent software version after agent update has failed on a VM. There is a visual indicator in the Status column for VMs with failed agent updates. If you place your pointer on that icon, a message appears indicating the date and time by which you must perform the rollback.To use this option, click Agent > Roll Back. For more information about agent rollback, see Update Agent Software for an Assignment.
    Reset Agent PairingRepairs the agent pairing state when pairing failure has occurred.
    • You can select multiple VMs. The action is only applied to those selected VMs that are currently powered on.
    • You can view progress on the Monitor > Activity page or on the System Activity tab of the assignment's detail page.
    To use this option, click Agent > Reset Agent Pairing.

    You can perform the following actions by clicking the ". . ." button and making a selection from the drop-down menu.

    OptionDescription
    Migrate VM(s)[Dedicated desktop only] Migrates one or more VMs to another dedicated desktop assignment.
    • Selected VMs must meet the following requirements:
      <ul>
      	<li>Have all users logged off.
      	</li>
      	<li>Be domain joined.
      	</li>
      	<li>Have no tasks running.
      	</li>
      	<li>Have the same domain, OU, and graphics settings as the target assignment.
      	</li>
      </ul>    </li>
      
    • To rename the VM, select the Rename VM option. During migration VM will be renamed as per target pool naming convention.
    • View migration progress and status in Monitor > Activity.
    • If a customization task fails during VM migration across DMs, select the VM and select the 'Rebuild' option from the dropdown to fix a VM in an inconsistent state.
    • VM can be located either on the Imported VMs page or under the target assignment.
    Note the following:
    • VMs can be moved between dedicated assignments on same or different Desktop Managers.
    • VMs cannot be moved between assignments on different vCenters.
    • If you migrate a VM with a USER assigned to it, there are behaviors to be aware of post-migration. See [Migrating VMs with a USER Assigned](#user_assigned).
    Rename[Dedicated desktop only] Renames the selected desktop. VDI indicates that a reboot is required.
    Unassign[Dedicated desktop only] Unassigns the selected desktop from user.
    SuspendSuspends one or more selected desktops. You can select more than one desktop at a time.
    ResumeResumes operation of one or more selected desktops. You can select more than one desktop at a time.
    Power On[Traditional clone only] Powers on one or more selected desktops. You can select more than one desktop at a time.
    Power Off[Traditional clone only] Powers off one or more selected desktops. You can select more than one desktop at a time.
    Launch ConsoleLaunches a console for the selected desktop. This option is deactivated if the VM is powered off or if more than one VM is selected.
    ResetPerforms a hard reset of one or more selected VMs. You can select more than one server at a time. In the case of a hung VM, it is recommended that you first try using the Restart option (see above).
    Log OffLogs the currently connected user off the selected desktop.
    DisconnectDisconnects the currently connected user from the selected desktop.
    DeleteDeletes the selected desktop.
    Rebuild[Floating desktop traditional clone only] Deletes and recreates the selected desktop. Use this option for desktop VMs that have become corrupted or otherwise non-operational.
    Convert to ImageConverts the selected desktop to an image.
    Generate LogsGenerates logs for the desktop VM.
    • Logs are listed on the Logs tab of the Reports page.
    • If you have configured a VMs file share, the system places log files in that file share. For more information, see Managing File Shares.
    Note: This feature requires Horizon Agent Installer 19.1 or later.

Migrating VMs with a USER Assigned

If you migrated a VM with a USER assigned to it, the following behaviors occur post-migration, contingent upon the USER's allocation to the VM.

Case-1: The USER does not belong to any USER-AD-GROUP

  • Auto-Assigned USER, meaning that the VM is allocated to the USER upon login through the CLIENT or WEB-PORTAL before migration. Post-migration, the migrated USER will be listed in the "Remote Desktop User Group" section of the VM/s of the target pool/assignment upon restart/reboot, after the User is unassigned from the VM. Subsequently, access to the source pool/assignment VMs will be revoked for the USER. If you unassign the USER from the migrated VM, the USER gains access rights to any available VMs in the target pool.
  • Manually Assigned USER, meaning that the USER is manually assigned before migration. Post-migration, the migrated USER will not be listed in the "Remote Desktop User Group" section of the VM/s of the target pool/assignment upon restart/reboot. Access to the source pool/assignment VMs will be revoked for the USER. If you unassign the USER from the migrated VM, the USER loses access rights to auto-allocate to any VMs in the target pool.

Case-2: The USER belongs to any USER-AD-GROUP

Proceed with caution before migrating the VM if the USER is assigned to any AD GROUP. You must remove the USER from the current AD GROUP and add them to a suitable AD GROUP within the target pool. Failure to do so before migration will lead to the same outcomes described in Case 1, above. However, the USER will maintain access to the source pool as well so careful consideration is needed regarding the removal of the USER from the AD GROUP.

Was this page helpful?

Provide feedback for this topic

Was this topic helpful?

Please do not include any personal or confidential information.

Generating link…