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Windows 10/11 desktop enabled for my account in Workspaces?

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I recently tried to set up a Windows instance in my account using Workspaces. First, I created a microsoft Active Directory instance. When I tried to start the windows desktop using it there were a few problems:

  • First, my AD was not listed. With the help of Q I executed dozens (possibly an exaggeration) of CLI statements to get it "registered" so it would show up during the workspace creation flow
  • Second, there were no desktop windows bundles available, only server 2016, 2019 etc.

Reading about this issue some sources said Amazon might need to enable it for my account and/or region. I think I verified I had appropriate permissions, which is AdministratorAccess among others but this I understood should be sufficient. I was trying this in us-west-2 region What am I missing and is it possible to run a windows 11 desktop in workspaces?

Topics
End User ComputingCompute
Tags
Account SupportWindowsAmazon WorkSpaces
Language
English

asked 9 months ago967 views

2 Answers
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Yes, it is possible to run Windows 11 desktop in Amazon WorkSpaces. Amazon WorkSpaces supports both Windows 10 and Windows 11 desktop operating systems, but there are specific requirements and considerations:

For Windows 11 desktop in WorkSpaces, you'll need to use the Bring Your Own License (BYOL) option. This means you must:

  1. Have your own Windows 11 licenses that meet Microsoft's licensing requirements
  2. Commit to running a minimum number of WorkSpaces in a given AWS Region each month (typically at least 100 WorkSpaces in a region)
  3. For GPU-enabled bundles, you need to run a minimum of 4 AlwaysOn or 20 AutoStop GPU-enabled WorkSpaces per month

The supported Windows 11 versions for BYOL include:

  • Windows 11 Enterprise 23H2 (October 2023 release)
  • Windows 11 Enterprise 22H2 (October 2022 release)

For WorkSpaces Pools, AWS recently announced (September 2024) support for Windows 10 and 11 with BYOL, which provides pay-as-you-go hourly pricing excluding operating system fees.

Regarding your specific issues:

  • The Active Directory registration problem you encountered is a known setup requirement
  • The absence of Windows desktop bundles is likely because you need to specifically enable BYOL for your account and provide your own Windows 10/11 licenses
  • Windows 11 is supported in us-west-2, but you need to meet the BYOL requirements

To activate your Windows 11 operating system on WorkSpaces, you can use existing Microsoft activation servers hosted in your VPC or ones that can be reached from the VPC where your WorkSpaces are launched.
Sources
Amazon WorkSpaces Personal Playbook | AWS re:Post
Amazon WorkSpaces Pools now allows you to bring your Windows 10 or 11 licenses - AWS
Amazon WorkSpaces Features | Persistent Desktop Virtualization
Amazon WorkSpaces
Amazon WorkSpaces FAQs | Persistent Desktop Virtualization

answered 9 months ago

AWS
EXPERT

reviewed 9 months ago

0

Amazon WorkSpaces can run Windows 11 based instances, however, you will need to enable BYOL for your account. https://docs.aws.amazon.com/workspaces/latest/adminguide/byol-windows-images.html . Please keep in mind there is a minimum commit of 50 WorkSpaces which is there to ensure licensing conditions are met. A new directory connector or AWS Managed AD is required to support BYOL. For AD, I recommend checking the following:- Adding the domain to the DHCP Options set

  • Make AD DNS available to the VPC (you can use the DCs for DNS)
  • Security Groups
  • NACLs
  • The Service Account
AWS

answered 9 months ago

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