Office network overview

Functions of an office network

Each cloud computer must reside in an office network. The office network determines the following behaviors and attributes of its cloud computers:

• IPv4 CIDR block

  When you create a cloud computer in an office network, the system automatically assigns it an IP address from the CIDR block of the VPC that is associated with the office network. The number of available IP addresses in the CIDR block determines the maximum number of cloud computers in the network. Plan your CIDR blocks carefully. For more information, see Plan CIDR blocks.

• Connection method

  This setting determines how end users connect to cloud computers in an office network. The following options are supported:

  • Internet: Allows connections only over the internet (default option). If you select this option, the device used to connect to the cloud computer must have internet access.

  • Private network (VPC): Allows connections only over a VPC. This method requires you to attach the office network to a Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN) instance and use a product such as Express Connect, Smart Access Gateway (SAG), or VPN Gateway to establish a connection between your on-premises network and the cloud. For more information, see Attach an office network to or detach an office network from a CEN instance and How do I select a private connection product?.

  • Internet and private network (VPC): Supports both methods.

• Internet access

  An office network includes basic internet bandwidth of up to 5 Mbit/s, which allows cloud computers to access the internet by default. Global internet access controls and whitelists allow you to implement fine-grained control over the internet access for all cloud computers within the office network. If you require higher bandwidth, you can purchase premium bandwidth. For more information about billing, see Billable items.

• Network connectivity

  • By default, different office networks are isolated. To enable communication between them, you can attach the office networks to the same Cloud Enterprise Network instance. For instructions, see Attach an office network to or detach an office network from a CEN instance.

  • By default, cloud computers within the same office network cannot communicate. To enable this communication, you can enable the Interconnectivity feature on the details page of the office network.

• File sharing

  By default, cloud computers in the same office network cannot share files with each other. To enable file sharing, you can mount a NAS file system on the cloud computers. For instructions, see Mount a NAS file system on a Windows cloud computer or Mount a NAS file system on a Linux cloud computer. You are charged for using general-purpose NAS file systems. For more information, see Billing of General-purpose NAS.

  • For Windows cloud computers, you can create a NAS file system for automatic mounting.

    Note

    Each advanced office network supports one NAS file system.

  • For Linux cloud computers, you must manually mount the NAS file system.

• Sign-in security settings

  To enhance the security of end-user sign-ins, you can enable SSO and other security verification measures.

  • SSO: If you enable this feature, you must configure mutual trust between the identity provider (IdP), such as an AD FS that is associated with your enterprise AD, and the service provider (SP), such as Elastic Desktop Service (EDS). After the configuration is complete, end users can quickly log on to the Alibaba Cloud Workspace client by verifying only the identity credentials from the IdP. For more information, see Overview.

  • MFA: When enabled, end users must provide a dynamic verification code from a virtual MFA device in addition to their username and password when they use an office network ID (formerly Workspace ID) to log on to the Alibaba Cloud Workspace client. For more information, see Configure MFA for logon.

  • Trusted Device Authentication: When enabled, end users who log in from a new device must enter a verification code. They can log in only after the code is verified.

  • Trusted Device Authentication: When enabled, end users can only connect to cloud computers in the office network through bound Wuying hardware terminals.

Office network types

Office networks come in two types: basic office networks (formerly basic workspaces) and advanced office networks (formerly standard workspaces). Use the following comparison to select the type that you need.

Related documents

• Plan CIDR blocks

• Create and manage office networks that use convenience accounts

• Create and manage office networks that use enterprise AD accounts

• AD office network FAQ