Custom Specifications User Guide

What is a custom specification?

Often the Desktop instances in your Rooms will need to be configured with applications and resources in order to provide your users with the tools they need to do their tasks.

Doing such customization on each and every Desktop instance is tedious and time-consuming.

A custom specification is an image of a Desktop instance that can be used to create new Desktop templates that have the same configuration, (installed applications etc.), as that initial Desktop instance.

Tehama's custom specification functionality allows you to

• install/configure applications in a single base Desktop instance, of a given Desktop type, to suit your users needs,
  
  
• request the creation of a custom image, a custom specification, from that base Desktop instance, and
  
  
• create many other Desktop templates, of that same Desktop type, using that custom specification. They will all have the same configuration as the base Desktop instance.

Once created, a custom specification belongs to your organization. A custom specification created from a Desktop of type 'Workspaces' is available from every Room in your organization. A custom specification created from a Desktop of type 'Tehama Windows' or of type 'Tehama Linux' is available from the Room in which it was created.

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Create a custom specification

(a) Create a base Desktop instance:

• Create a base Desktop instance by creating a Desktop template and assign yourself to it. A Desktop instance from that template will be created for you.
  
  You will use this Desktop as the base for the custom image/specification. Before requesting the custom specification, configure this Desktop with desired applications and resources.
  
  For Desktops of type 'Workspaces':
  
  Your organization, for security, may prefer to have Rooms for your users that have not enabled desktop admin rights for all Workspace Desktop templates in the Room. (Admin rights for Workspace Desktops are inherited from the Room setting.) However that may be, be sure to create your 'Workspaces' base Desktop instance in a Room that has been created with Desktop Admin Rights enabled for Desktops of type 'Workspace' in the Room. This grants admin access to the Workspace 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 Desktop instance. Once the custom spec has been created, the Room can be removed.
  
  For Desktops of type 'Tehama Windows' and 'Tehama Linux':
  
  Your organization, for security, may prefer to construct Desktop templates for your users that do not have desktop admin rights enabled. However that may be, be sure to create your 'Tehama Linux' or 'Tehama Windows' base Desktop instance with admin rights enabled. The admin access will be required to install/configure applications in the Desktop. Desktop templates created from the custom specification, can be created with or without desktop admin rights.

(b) Configure your base Desktop instance

1. Connect to your base Desktop instance.
   
   
2. Configure it as desired for your users. Install applications, add resources, etc.
   
   
3. Delete the following file(s):
   
   
   • For Windows-based Desktop instances: (of type Workspaces or Tehama Windows)
     • C:\Tehama\tehama-info.txt
     • C:\Tehama\config.json
   • For Linux-based Desktop instances: (of type Tehama Linux)
     • /etc/tehama/config.json

Now your base Desktop instance has the custom configuration you want all Desktops created from your custom specification to have.

(c) 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 Desktop instance. Note that if the user who performs this step is not assigned to the base Desktop instance, they must follow Option B in step 1. below.

1. Locate your base Desktop instance 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 Desktop instance. You will see the user interface for the Room.
   4. Click on the Room's WORK tab.
   5. Click on the MY DESKTOPS sidebar item.
   6. Locate the entry for your base Desktop instance.
   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 your base Desktop instance.
2. Click on the three vertical dots under the Actions column for the entry. The actions' menu will open.
   
   
3. Select the "Request image" menu item.
   
   
   • For Desktop instances of type Workspaces:
     
     The CUSTOM SPECIFICATION dialog will appear.
     
     
     
     1. Enter a name, for example "Project ACME Custom Spec 1", in the Specification Name field.
     2. Enter a description for your custom specification in the Description field.
     3. Be sure that you have deleted the files listed in the dialog. (See Configure your base Desktop instance above for more details.)
     4. Check the box beside the text "I have deleted the files".
        The REQUEST button will remain greyed out until this box is checked.
     5. Click REQUEST. A popup will appear that lets you know your request is in progress.
        
        Behind the scenes, your request will be forwarded to Tehama Support. Tehama Support will create an image from your customized base Desktop instance. This can take up to two hours. You will not be able to use your base Desktop instance while the image is being created. Tehama Support will reach out to you to coordinate a time that is convenient for you.
        
        It will take up to two business days for your custom specification to become available. You will be notified once it is ready for use.
   • For Desktop instances of type Tehama Windows and Tehama Linux:
     
     The CREATE IMAGE dialog will appear.
     
     
     
     1. Enter a name, for example "Project ACME Custom Spec 1", in the Provide a name for this image field.
     2. Enter a description for your custom specification in the Describe the image field.
     3. Be sure that you have deleted the file(s) listed in the dialog. (See Configure your base Desktop instance above for more details.)
     4. Check the box beside the text "I have deleted the files".
        The CREATE IMAGE button will remain greyed out until this box is checked.
     5. Click CREATE IMAGE. A popup will appear that lets you know your request is in progress.
        
        The automated process to create your custom specification will begin.

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

For custom specifications made from Desktop instances of type 'Workspaces', your organization will receive notice when the custom specification is available for use.

For custom specifications made from Desktop instances of type 'Tehama Windows' and 'Tehama Linux', there is as yet no notification when the custom specification becomes available for use. You will know it is ready to use if you see its name in the Specifications dropdown field on the ADD WINDOWS/LINUX DESKTOP TEMPLATE dialog, when you are creating a Desktop template, in the Room where it was created.

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Use a custom specification

Use your custom specification to create Desktop templates, of that same Desktop type. They will all have the same configuration as the base Desktop instance from which you created you custom specification.

Choose a Room to create your Desktop templates in:

Your custom specification belongs to your organization. A custom specification created from a Desktop of type 'Workspaces' is available from every Room in your organization. A custom specification created from a Desktop of type 'Tehama Windows' or of type 'Tehama Linux' is available from the Room in which it was created.

For custom specifications of Desktops of type 'Workspaces':

If your goal in creating a custom specification was to eliminate, for security, the need for your Desktop templates to have desktop admin rights (so the Desktop users could install/configure applications), select a Room that has not enabled Workspace desktop admin rights. Unlike admin rights for Tehama Windows and Tehama Linux Desktop templates, which are determined when the templates are created, admin rights for Workspace Desktops are inherited from the Room setting.

Create a Desktop template with your custom specification

1. Follow the steps to Add a Desktop Template in the Desktops User Guide), up until you see one of:
   
   
   • ADD WINDOWS DESKTOP TEMPLATE dialog, for Windows-based Desktop templates
   • ADD LINUX DESKTOP TEMPLATE dialog, for Linux-based Desktop templates
2. Look for the Specification field in the dialog.
   
   
3. Open the Specification dropdown.
   
   
4. Look for the name of your custom specification in the dropdown list, for example "Project ACME Custom Spec 1", under the heading "Custom Specifications".
   
   
   
   
5. Select your custom specification.
   
   
6. Fill out the rest of the fields on the dialog and continue the creation of your Desktop template as usual.

The resulting new Desktop template will be constructed from the custom specification.

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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 template of the same type from the custom specification you want to 'edit'. Using an instance of this as your base Desktop instance, repeat the create custom specification steps.

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Remove a custom specification

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