Overview
Elastic Desktop Service lets you distribute applications to end users across your organization. You can centrally manage which applications are available, who can access them, and how they are installed on cloud computers, instead of deploying applications manually on each device.
How application distribution works
When you enable the application feature, available applications appear in the Application Center on each end user's cloud computer. End users install applications directly from the Application Center.
Application types
Elastic Desktop Service supports the following application types:
Type | Source | Setup required |
Free applications | Provided by Alibaba Cloud with Independent Software Vendor (ISV) authorization, or directly by ISVs | None — assign directly to end users |
Self-managed applications | Uploaded manually by your organization through the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise Edition console | Upload first, then assign to end users |
Paid applications: Provided by ISVs. An administrator must acquire licenses for these applications before assigning them to end users.
Prerequisites
Before you distribute applications, make sure that the following conditions are met:
The application feature is enabled in Elastic Desktop Service.
You can access the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise Edition console to upload self-managed applications.
Distribution workflow
Follow these steps to make applications available to end users:
After you purchase and assign paid applications in the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise Edition console, end users can download, install, and use them from the Application Center on their cloud computers. The flowchart at the start of this section shows the basic flow for using paid applications.
Upload self-managed applications. If free applications do not meet your needs, upload your application packages through the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise Edition console. For details, see Manage self-managed applications.
Purchase paid applications or upload your own applications.
If free applications do not meet your business requirements, you can purchase paid applications or upload your own applications in the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise Edition console. For more information, see Purchase applications or Upload your own applications.
Assign applications to end users. By default, all end users have permission to download and install applications. To restrict access to specific users, configure assignment permissions. For details, see Assign and install an application.
End users install applications from the Application Center. End users open the Application Center on their cloud computers and download and install applications directly from there.
Acquire applications
Acquire officially verified applications from the Elastic Desktop Service application marketplace, or upload your organization's applications to meet business needs.
Purchase official applications
You can purchase applications in the EDS Enterprise Edition console and then manage and assign the purchased applications.
In the EDS Enterprise Edition console, you can purchase paid applications or use free applications from Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). For paid applications, you can pay on a per-use or subscription basis, depending on the application.
Procedure
Log on to the EDS enterprise console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose AI &Apps & Drivers > Apps. Click the Applications tab.
On the Apps page, use the App Management tab to filter the applications that you want to purchase.
a. Filter by application price.
At the top of the list, click the funnel icon next to Price, and then select Paid.
b. Filter by application type.
At the top of the list, click the funnel icon next to Category to filter the applications by type.
Find the target application and click Purchase in its Actions column.
On the page that appears, follow the instructions to complete the payment. After the purchase is successful, view and manage purchased applications on the Purchased Application tab.
After you purchase the application, you can view the order details in Alibaba Cloud Marketplace. For more information, see Manage orders.
On the Apps page, you can view application details, such as the name, version number, and developer, in either of the following ways:
In the Actions column of the application, click View Details.
At the top of the page, click Purchased Application. On the Purchased Application page, find the application and click View Details in the Actions column.
What to do next
After you purchase an application, you can assign it to specific users. For more information, see Manage application assignment and installation.
Upload your own applications
If the application marketplace does not meet your needs, upload your own enterprise applications. You can upload cloud computer applications (.exe, .msi, and .zip) and web applications.
If a self-uploaded application must support automatic installation, its installation package must support silent installation.
Upload an application
Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise Edition console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Apps & Drivers > App Management.
On the App Management page, click Add Application.
Complete the basic settings, and then configure the parameters for the application type.
To upload an application to be installed on a cloud computer, select Cloud Computer App.
Parameter
Description
Application Tag
Optional. Add search tags for the application. You can add up to five tags.
Upload Method
Upload File: For installation packages smaller than 5 GB, click View Local File to select a local
.exe,.msi, or.zipfile. OSS Object URL: (Recommended) For installation packages larger than 5 GB, or for scenarios that require centralized management with Object Storage Service (OSS). Provide a publicly accessible or signed OSS object URL. Hover over the question mark icon (?) next to the input field and click Help Documentation for instructions.Registry
To upload a web application, select Web App.
Parameter
Description
Application URL
Enter the full URL to access the web application, for example,
https://example.com/webapp.
Click OK to complete the upload.
Assign and deploy applications
After you acquire or upload an application, configure its visibility scope and automatic installation policies to deliver it to target end users or cloud computers.
Set application visibility and automatic installation
You can control application visibility and automatic installation by user or by resource group.
Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise Edition console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Apps & Drivers > App Management.
On the App Management page, find the target application and click Configure Visibility in its Actions column.
In the panel, select an Assignment Type:
Assign by User: The policy applies directly to specified user accounts or AD groups.
Assign by Resource Group: The policy applies to the specified resource group.
For either assignment type, configure Privilege Escalation for Application Installation. When enabled, end users without local administrator permissions can install applications that require administrator permissions.
Configure Application Visibility Scope to determine whether end users can see the application in the Application Center on their cloud computers:
Visible to all users / Visible to all resource groups
Not visible to any user / Not visible to any resource group
Visible to Some Users / Visible to specific resource groups. For this option, click Add User or Add Resource Group in the panel to add users or resource groups, respectively. For user-based assignment, click Settings, and then use Add by User or Add by AD Group to add the specified users or groups.
Configure Auto Installation to determine whether the system automatically installs the application when an end user logs on to a cloud computer:
Disable automatic installation: End users manually install the application from the Application Center.
Automatically install for all visible users/resource groups: The system automatically installs the application for all users or resource groups to which it is visible.
Automatically install for specific visible users/resource groups: The system automatically installs the application only for specified users or resource groups. Enable automatic installation for the target users or resource groups in the list below.
Click OK to save the settings.
Maintain applications
You can modify a self-uploaded application's information, update its version, or delete the application.
Modify and update applications
Modify basic information
Log on to the Elastic Desktop Service Enterprise Edition console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Apps & Drivers > App Management.
On the App Management page, find the target application and click View Details in the Actions column.
In the details panel, click Modify Application.
Modify information such as the application name, developer, and description, and then click OK.
Publish application versions
Cloud computer application
In the Actions column of the target application, click Upload to add a new version.
After the upload is complete, click the drop-down arrow to the left of the application name to expand the version list.
Find the newly uploaded version and click Publish in its Actions column. The new version replaces the old version and becomes visible to users.
To modify only a version's information, click Edit for that version.
Web application
Click the drop-down arrow to the left of the application name to expand the version list.
In the Actions column, click Edit.
In the Modify Version panel, enter the new Application URL and then click OK.