Gold Images are operating system images for user desktops. Gold images are created for Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 7, 8.1, and 10, or Linux from a bootable CD, DVD, or .iso image on a CD or DVD that is accessible to the VERDE Server.
Windows Gold Image Considerations
The following should be considered when creating and using Gold Images:
- Windows 7, 8.1, and 10, as well as Windows Servers 2008 R2, 2012 R2, and 2016, use the same user state separation, which means users must log out of their session in order for their session changes to be continued. By default, user documents are written synchronously.
- Users must never make changes to the network settings for the first “Local Area Network Connection;” it is configured during the Gold Image creation and should not be changed.
- The program
vbverdeuser_bootstrap.exein the Windows Start folder must not be deleted. It is present in the “All Users Startup folder.” This program starts the user portion of the guest session. - RDP is enabled by default in Windows 7 and 10 guests and Windows 2008 Server R2, Windows 2012 Server R2, and Windows Server 2016.
- If assigning Session Settings to a Gold Image that enable multiple CPUs, confirm that the Gold Image is installed with at least the same number of virtual CPUs that will be assigned.
- If Windows Gold Images are created on Intel servers and are run on AMD Branch servers (or created on AMD and run on Intel), Windows will boot twice after an initial start up, an upgrade, or each time it boots if in Normal Life deployment mode. This occurs if the images are not joined to Active Directory through Session Settings. If the image is joined to Active Directory through Session Settings, Windows will not need an additional reboot.
VERDE Client Software Tools are used to upgrade Gold Images created with an earlier version of VERDE and to complete the Gold Image post-installation. Windows tools are provided for both 32- and 64-bit.
Windows RDP Access and Group Policy
Using Restricted Groups group policy to set membership of the Remote Desktop Users local group can cause problems with VERDE’s ability to add the user through the VERDE Management Console. If using the Remote Desktop Users Group Policy, confirm that all users connecting to a Windows session through RDP are members of the group, or are not restricted by settings in the Group Policy Object.