Get started with WorkSpaces - Amazon WorkSpaces

Get started with WorkSpaces

As a first-time WorkSpaces user, you can choose to setup your WorkSpaces with quick setup or advanced setup. The following tutorials describes how to provision a cloud-based desktop, known as a WorkSpace using WorkSpaces and AWS Directory Service.

To get started with WorkSpaces Pools, see Configure SAML 2.0 and create a WorkSpaces Pools directory.

In this tutorial, you learn how to provision a virtual, cloud-based Microsoft Windows, Amazon Linux 2, Ubuntu Linux, or Red Hat Enterprise Linux desktop, known as a WorkSpace, by using WorkSpaces and AWS Directory Service.

This tutorial uses the quick setup option to launch your WorkSpace. This option is available only if you have never launched a WorkSpace. Alternatively, see Create a directory for WorkSpaces Personal.

Note

Quick setup is supported in the following AWS Regions:

  • US East (N. Virginia)

  • US West (Oregon)

  • Europe (Ireland)

  • Asia Pacific (Singapore)

  • Asia Pacific (Sydney)

  • Asia Pacific (Tokyo)

To change your Region, see Choosing a Region.

Before you begin

Before you begin, make sure that you meet the following requirements:

  • You must have an AWS account to create or administer a WorkSpace. Users do not need an AWS account to connect to and use their WorkSpaces.

  • WorkSpaces is not available in every Region. Verify the supported Regions and select a Region for your WorkSpaces. For more information about the supported Regions, see WorkSpaces Pricing by AWS Region.

It's also helpful to review and understand the following before you proceed:

  • When you launch a WorkSpace, you must select a WorkSpace bundle. For more information, see Amazon WorkSpaces Bundles and Amazon WorkSpaces Pricing.

  • When you launch a WorkSpace, you must select which protocol (PCoIP or WorkSpaces Streaming Protocol [WSP]) you want to use with your bundle. For more information, see Protocols for WorkSpaces Personal.

  • When you launch a WorkSpace, you must specify profile information for the user, including a user name and email address. Users complete their profiles by specifying a password. Information about WorkSpaces and users is stored in a directory. For more information, see Manage directories for WorkSpaces Personal.

What quick setup does

Quick setup completes the following tasks on your behalf:

  • Creates an IAM role to allow the WorkSpaces service to create elastic network interfaces and list your WorkSpaces directories. This role has the name workspaces_DefaultRole.

  • Creates a virtual private cloud (VPC). If you want to use an existing VPC instead, make sure it meets the requirements noted in Configure a VPC for WorkSpaces Personal, and then follow the steps in one of the tutorials listed in Create a directory for WorkSpaces Personal. Choose the tutorial that corresponds to the type of Active Directory that you want to use.

  • Sets up a Simple AD directory in the VPC and enables it for Amazon WorkDocs. This Simple AD directory is used to store user and WorkSpace information. The first AWS account created by quick setup is your admin AWS account. † The directory also has an Administrator account. For more information, see What gets created in the AWS Directory Service Administration Guide.

  • Creates the specified AWS accounts and adds them to the directory.

  • Creates WorkSpaces. Each WorkSpace receives a public IP address to provide internet access. The running mode is AlwaysOn. For more information, see Manage the running mode in WorkSpaces Personal.

  • Sends invitation emails to the specified users. If your users don't receive their invitation emails, see Send an invitation email.

† The first AWS account created by quick setup is your admin AWS account. You can't update this AWS account from the WorkSpaces Console. Don't share the information for this account with anyone else. To invite other users to use WorkSpaces, create new AWS accounts for them.

Step 1: Launch the WorkSpace

Using quick setup, you can launch your first WorkSpace in minutes.

To launch a WorkSpace

  1. Open the WorkSpaces console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/workspaces/.

  2. Choose Quick setup. If you don't see this button, either you have already launched a WorkSpace in this Region, or you aren't using one of the Regions that support quick setup. In this case, see Create a directory for WorkSpaces Personal.

  3. For Identify users, enter the Username, First Name. Last Name, and Email. Then choose Next.

    Note

    If this is your first time using WorkSpaces, we recommend creating a user for yourself for testing purposes.

  4. For Bundles, select a bundle (hardware and software) for the user with the appropriate protocol (PCoIP or WSP). For more information about the various public bundles available for Amazon WorkSpaces, see Amazon WorkSpaces Bundles.

  5. Review your information. Then choose Create WorkSpace.

  6. It takes approximately 20 minutes for your WorkSpace to launch. To monitor the progress, go to the left navigation pane and choose Directories. You will see a directory being created with an initial status of REQUESTED and then CREATING.

    After the directory has been created and has a status of ACTIVE, you can choose WorkSpaces in the left navigation pane to monitor the progress of the WorkSpace launch process. The initial status of the WorkSpace is PENDING. When the launch is complete, the status is AVAILABLE and an invitation is sent to the email address that you specified for each user. If your users don't receive their invitation emails, see Send an invitation email.

Step 2: Connect to the WorkSpace

After you receive the invitation email, you can connect to the WorkSpace using the client of your choice. After you sign in, the client displays the WorkSpace desktop.

To connect to the WorkSpace

  1. If you haven't set up credentials for the user already, open the link in the invitation email and follow the directions. Remember the password that you specify as you will need it to connect to your WorkSpace.

    Note

    Passwords are case-sensitive and must be between 8 and 64 characters in length, inclusive. Passwords must contain at least one character from each of the following categories: lowercase letters (a-z), uppercase letters (A-Z), numbers (0-9), and the set ~!@#$%^&*_-+=`|\(){}[]:;"'<>,.?/.

  2. Review WorkSpaces Clients in the Amazon WorkSpaces User Guide for more information about the requirements for each client, and then do one of the following:

    • When prompted, download one of the client applications or launch Web Access.

    • If you aren't prompted and you haven't installed a client application already, open https://clients.amazonworkspaces.com/ and download one of the client applications or launch Web Access.

    Note

    You cannot use a web browser (Web Access) to connect to Amazon Linux WorkSpaces.

  3. Start the client, enter the registration code from the invitation email, and choose Register.

  4. When prompted to sign in, enter the sign-in credentials, and then choose Sign In.

  5. (Optional) When prompted to save your credentials, choose Yes.

For more information about using the client applications, such as setting up multiple monitors or using peripheral devices, see WorkSpaces Clients and Peripheral Device Support in the Amazon WorkSpaces User Guide.

Step 3: Clean up (Optional)

If you are finished with the WorkSpace that you created for this tutorial, you can delete it. For more information, see Delete a WorkSpace in WorkSpaces Personal.

Note

Simple AD is made available to you free of charge to use with WorkSpaces. If there are no WorkSpaces being used with your Simple AD directory for 30 consecutive days, this directory will be automatically deregistered for use with Amazon WorkSpaces, and you will be charged for this directory as per the AWS Directory Service pricing terms.

To delete empty directories, see Delete a directory for WorkSpaces Personal. If you delete your Simple AD directory, you can always create a new one when you want to start using WorkSpaces again.

Next steps

You can continue to customize the WorkSpace that you just created. For example, you can install software and then create a custom bundle from your WorkSpace. You can also perform various administrative tasks for your WorkSpaces and your WorkSpaces directory. For more information, see the following documentation.

To create additional WorkSpaces, do one of the following:

  • If you want to continue using the VPC and the Simple AD directory that were created by quick setup, you can add WorkSpaces for additional users by following the steps in the Create a WorkSpace in WorkSpaces Personal section of the Launch a WorkSpace Using Simple AD tutorial.

  • If you need to use another directory type or if you need to use an existing Active Directory, see the appropriate tutorial in Create a directory for WorkSpaces Personal.

For more information about using the WorkSpaces client applications, such as setting up multiple monitors or using peripheral devices, see WorkSpaces Clients and Peripheral Device Support in the Amazon WorkSpaces User Guide.

In this tutorial, you learn how to provision a virtual, cloud-based Microsoft Windows, Amazon Linux, Ubuntu Linux, or Red Hat Enterprise Linux desktop desktop, known as a WorkSpace, by using WorkSpaces and AWS Directory Service.

This tutorial uses the advanced setup option to launch your WorkSpace.

Note

Advanced setup is supported in all Regions for WorkSpaces.

Before you begin

Before you begin, make sure you have an AWS account that you can use to create or administer a WorkSpace. Users don't need an AWS account to connect to and use their WorkSpaces.

Review and understand the following concepts before you proceed:

  • When you launch a WorkSpace, you must select a WorkSpace bundle. For more information, see Amazon WorkSpaces Bundles.

  • When you launch a WorkSpace, you must select which protocol (PCoIP or WorkSpaces Streaming Protocol [WSP]) you want to use with your bundle. For more information, see Protocols for WorkSpaces Personal.

  • When you launch a WorkSpace, you must specify profile information for the user, including a user name and email address. Users complete their profiles by specifying a password. Information about WorkSpaces and users is stored in a directory. For more information, see Manage directories for WorkSpaces Personal.

Using advanced setup to launch your WorkSpace

To use advanced setup to launch your WorkSpace:

  1. Open the WorkSpaces console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/workspaces/.

  2. Choose one of the following directory types, and then choose Next:

    • AWS Managed Microsoft AD

    • Simple AD

    • AD Connector

  3. Enter the directory information.

  4. Choose two subnets in a VPC from two different availability zones. For more information, see Configure a VPC with public subnets.

  5. Review your directory's information and choose Create directory.