Managing your Virtual Desktop

Once you have created one Desktop, you will see four options on your screen to manage it.

Here are what each of these options means:

These are simple: all you need to do is click the particular button to make it happen. You need to remember to save your work to the Virtual Desktop’s disk before you perform a Reboot, Shelve or Boost.

The power of delete 🗑️
When you click the delete button, be absolutely sure you want to delete your desktop!! Once it is gone, we cannot recover the desktop or its data. There are no recycle bins here.

Keep an eye on the time ⏰
Once you have launched a Virtual Desktop, this desktop will be available for 14 days. After 14 days, the desktop will initiate an expiry process, with the instance shelved for 1 month, and then deleted. You will receive email reminders at each stage of the expiry process. However, remember, you are able to extend your desktop for another 14 days, using the extend button as well.

Keeping up to date
Our Virtual Desktop images are configured to automatically apply security patches supplied the base operating system vendor. Non-security updates are not applied automatically, but you are free to apply them yourself. (Refer to the “Command Line” tutorial.)

Desktop End of Life
All operating systems eventually reach an “end of life” when the vendor stops providing security updates. When a Virtual Desktop’s base operating system reaches end of life, we will deem the Desktop to be end of life also. When that happens, you will need to delete your Desktop and create a new one.

You can manage it all now!
Well done. You know how to manage your desktop and what the different buttons mean. On the next page we wrap up, and provide some final important links.