Custom Specifications User Guide

What is a custom specification?

Often, you, as the owner or manager of your organization, will need to customize the Windows Desktops in your Rooms in order to provide your users with the tools they need to do their tasks.

The custom specification functionality allows you to

configure the base Windows Desktop specification your users need once,
request the creation of a Windows Desktop image (a custom specification) from that base Windows Desktop, and
create many other Windows Desktops with the same configuration, using that specification.

Once created, a custom specification belongs to your organization and is available from every Room in your organization.

Create a custom specification

Configuration of the base Windows Desktop (the Desktop used as a base for the custom image) can be done by any user assigned to the Desktop.

Only the admin user and managers of a Room's owner organization (owner+connected or user+owner) can request a custom image and they must be a member of the Room.

Requirements:

A base Windows Desktop: This Desktop is used as the base for the custom image/specification. It must belong to the Room used to request the creation of the custom specification. Before requesting the custom specification, configure this Desktop with desired applications and resources.

For security, it might be best to create a base Windows Desktop in a separate Room belonging to your organization, where that Room has been created with Desktop settings granting admin access to the Desktops in the Room. The admin access will be required to install/configure applications in the Desktop. Limit the members of this Room to users who will configure the base Windows Desktop. Once the custom spec has been created, the Room can be removed.

See the Rooms User Guide and the Desktops User Guide for information on how to create a Room and a Desktop and how to connect to a Desktop.

Configure your base Windows Desktop

Connect to your base Windows Desktop
Configure it as desired for your users. Install applications, add resources, etc.

This is the custom configuration you want all Desktops created from your custom specification to have.

Request the creation of a custom specification

The user who performs the creation of the custom specification does not need to be the same user who configured the base Windows Desktop used in the creation. Note that if the user who performs this step is not assigned to the base Windows Desktop, they must follow Option B in step 1. below.

Locate your base Windows Desktop in the Tehama Web UI:

Option A: this option restricts you to Desktops that you are assigned to
1. Log in to the Tehama Web UI.
2. Click on the ROOMS tab.
3. Click on the name of the Room that has your base Windows Desktop. You will see the user interface for the Room.
4. 1. Click on the Room's WORK tab.
5. Click on the MY DESKTOPS sidebar item.
6. Locate the entry for the Windows Desktop you configured, (your base Windows Desktop).
Option B: this option allows you to find Desktops that you are not assigned to
1. Log in to the Tehama Web UI.
2. Click on the DESKTOPS tab.
3. Locate the entry for the Windows Desktop you configured, (your base Windows Desktop).
Request the custom specification:
1. Click on the three vertical dots under the Actions column for the entry and select "Request image". A dialog will appear entitled "Custom Specification".
2. Enter a name, for example "Project ACME Custom Spec 1", and a description for your custom specification.
3. Click on REQUEST. A popup will appear that lets you know your request is in progress.

It will take up to the end of the next business day for your custom specification to become available. You will be notified once it is ready for use.

Once created, the custom specification belongs to the Room's owner organization.

Behind the scenes, your request will be forwarded to the Tehama Concierge. The Concierge will create an image from your customized base Windows Desktop. This can take up to two hours. You will not be able to use your base Windows Desktop while the image is being created. The Concierge will reach out to you to coordinate a time that is convenient for you.

Use a custom specification

A custom specification is available to anyone who can add or request a Windows Desktop in a Room belonging to the organization that owns the custom specification.

The admin user and managers of a Room's owner organization (owner+connected or user+owner) can add a new Windows Desktop template, using a custom specification, to the Room directly. (See Add a Desktop Template in the Desktops User Guide.)

The admin users and managers of a Room's non-owner organizations (user_only and connected_only) and members of the Room that are staff members in their organizations can instead request a new Windows Desktop template, using a custom specification, be added to the Room. (See Request a Desktop Template in the Desktops User Guide.)

Requirements:

The user must have access to an existing Room.

Note the Room can be any Room belonging to the organization that created the custom specification. Though, for security, it is suggested that this be a Room where the users do not have desktop admin rights and/or the Room has no internet access. Since the custom specification will have all required applications installed and configured, the users of the Desktops created from it may not need admin rights or internet access.

Notification must have received by the organization that created the custom specification that it is now available.

Create a Desktop with your custom specification

Follow the same steps as you would normally follow to create Windows Desktops (see Add a Desktop Template in the Desktops User Guide).

Log in to the Tehama Web UI.
Click on the ROOMS tab.
Click on the name of the Room you want to access. You will see the page for the Room.
Click the CONFIGURE tab.
Click the WINDOWS DESKTOPS sidebar item.
Click the ADD WINDOWS DESKTOP TEMPLATE at the top right of the page. This will display the ADD WINDOWS DESKTOP TEMPLATE dialog:
Enter all the information as you normally would except for the Specification.
Open the Specification dropdown.
- Your custom specification, the name you entered above, for example "Project ACME Custom Spec 1", will be in the list, under the heading "Custom Specifications".
Select your custom specification.
Click on the NEXT: ASSIGN TO MEMBERS button. The ASSIGN WINDOWS DESKTOP TEMPLATE dialog will appear. (Click on the arrow to the left of the dialog title to return to the previous dialog.)
Click on the Users field to open the list of Room members that you can assign to this Desktop template. (These are the users who will have access to the Desktop instance built from this template.)
Select the name(s) of the Room members that you wish to assign to this Desktop. (There must be at least one name specified. At this time, a template cannot be created without at least one Room member assigned to it.)
Click SAVE TEMPLATE AND ASSIGN TO MEMBERS. The SUCCESS dialog will appear.
Click CLOSE to dismiss the SUCCESS dialog. The new Desktop template will appear in the list of Desktop templates on the page.

The resulting new Windows Desktop template will be constructed from the image created by the Concierge for your custom specification.

Edit a custom specification

Currently it is not possible to edit an existing custom specification.

But it is possible to create a new custom specification from an existing one.

Create a Desktop from the custom specification you want to 'edit'. Using this as your base Windows Desktop, repeat the create custom specification steps.

Remove a custom specification

If you wish to remove a custom specification from your organization, please send a support request to the Concierge.