Help Center/ Workspace/ User Guide (Administrators)/ Purchasing a Desktop/Desktop Pool/ Purchasing a Custom Desktop
Updated on 2026-07-14 GMT+08:00
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Purchasing a Custom Desktop

Scenarios

Workspace is a desktop service based on cloud computing. Unlike conventional PCs and VDIs, Workspace enables enterprises to quickly set up desktop environments, eliminating costly and time-consuming deployment. After purchasing a desktop, you can operate it as easily as using a local PC. This section describes how to purchase a desktop on the management console.

This section uses the following configuration as an example to describe how to purchase a custom desktop.

Process

Step

Description

Preparations

Sign up for a HUAWEI ID, enable Huawei Cloud services, complete real-name authentication, top up your account, and create resources such as VPCs, subnets, and security groups.

Step 1: Access the Page for Purchasing a Desktop

Log in to the Workspace console and open the page for purchasing a desktop.

Step 2: Specify Parameters

Set parameters such as basic configuration, OS, disk, VPC, and subnet, and submit the order.

Step 3: Confirm the Configuration and Submit the Order

Confirm configuration details and complete the purchase.

Preparations

  1. Sign up for a HUAWEI ID and complete real-name authentication.

    Before purchasing a desktop, sign up for a HUAWEI ID, enable Huawei Cloud services, and complete real-name authentication.

    If you have already enabled Huawei Cloud services and completed real-name authentication, skip this step.

  2. Top up your account.

    Ensure that your account has sufficient balance. For details, see Topping Up an Account.

  3. Plan networking resources, such as VPCs and subnets.

    When you are purchasing a desktop, the system creates a default VPC and subnet.

    If you do not want to use the default VPC and subnet, you can create a VPC and subnet in the desired region in advance. For more information, see VPC Network Planning Suggestions.

  4. Create a security group and add rules to it.

    When you are purchasing a desktop, the system creates a default security group. For details about default security groups, see Default Security Groups and Rules.

    If the default security group and rules cannot meet your service requirements, you can modify the rules. For details, see Configuring Security Group Rules.

Step 1: Access the Page for Purchasing a Desktop

  1. Log in to the console.
  2. On the Dashboard page, click Purchase Desktop. The Purchase Desktop page is displayed.
  3. Determine whether to interconnect with an enterprise Windows AD domain.

    After you purchase a desktop for the first time, the choice you make (whether to interconnect with a Windows AD domain or not) cannot be changed. Exercise caution when performing this operation.

    • If you select No Interconnection with AD, go to step 4.

      After subscribing to the service, you can use the account authentication system of Huawei to authenticate users and manage user accounts on the Workspace console.

    • If you select Interconnection with AD, configure a Windows AD domain. For details, see Configuring an AD Domain. After the configuration information is saved, the Workspace service will be deployed.

      After the service is subscribed, the existing unified AD of the enterprise is used to authenticate users and manage user accounts.

  4. Go to the Purchase Desktop page.

    Figure 1 Custom purchase

Step 2: Specify Parameters

Specify parameters required for purchasing a desktop. These parameters include but are not limited to the billing mode, region, AZ, specifications (vCPUs and memory), storage, image, and network.

Basic Settings

  1. Select a billing mode.

    The billing mode is related to the payment method, billing cycle, and resource status changes of your desktop. Select a billing mode based on your service requirements.

    Table 1 Billing modes

    Option

    Description

    Scenarios and Constraints

    Reference

    Yearly/Monthly

    Yearly/Monthly is a prepaid billing mode in which you pay for desktops before using them. Yearly/monthly desktops are billed by the purchased duration specified in the order.

    This cost-effective billing is ideal when the duration of desktop usage is predictable. It is recommended for long-term users.

    A yearly/monthly desktop cannot be deleted. If such a desktop is not required anymore, unsubscribe from it.

    Yearly/Monthly

    Pay-per-use

    Pay-per-use is a postpaid billing mode. You pay as you go and just pay for what you use. Pay-per-use desktops are billed by the second and settled by the hour.

    This billing is ideal for scenarios with fluctuating compute resources. You can enable or delete resources at any time.

    Pay-per-Use

  2. Select a region.

    A region is the location of the physical data center of a desktop. Different regions indicate different physical distances between the physical data center and users, as well as different network latency. To reduce latency and improve access speed, select the region closest to your workloads.

    • Desktops in different regions cannot communicate with each other over the intranet and need to be managed by region. Create your desktops in the same region.
    • Once a desktop is purchased, its region cannot be changed. Exercise caution when selecting a region.

  3. Select a project.

    A project corresponds to a region. Projects group and isolate compute, storage, and networking resources across physical regions. Users can be granted permissions in a default project to access all resources in the region associated with the project. For more refined access control, create subprojects under a project and purchase resources in the subprojects. Users can then be assigned permissions to access only specific resources in the subprojects.

  4. Select an AZ.

    An AZ is a physical region where resources use independent power supplies and networks. AZs are physically isolated but connected through an intranet. If an AZ becomes faulty, other AZs in the same region will not be affected.

  1. Select a CPU architecture.

    Select the required CPU architecture as needed. For example, select Kunpeng for UOS desktops and x86 for Windows desktops.

  2. Select the required specifications as needed.
  1. Select an image.

    An image is a desktop template that contains an OS and necessary configurations. You can use an image to quickly create desktops.
    Table 2 Image settings

    Option

    Description

    Reference

    Public

    A public image is a standard OS image which is highly stable, authorized, and visible to all users. It contains an OS and preinstalled public applications.

    You can configure applications or software in a public image as required.

    Public Image Overview

    Private

    A private image is an image available only to the user who created or imported it. It contains an OS, preinstalled public applications, and the user's personal applications, saving the time for configuring a desktop repeatedly.

    NOTE:

    When you use a private image to create a desktop, the system automatically shares the private image with the Workspace service account for creating desktops. Therefore, you need the image sharing permission.

    Private Images

  1. Configure one system disk and one or more data disks.

    Table 3 Disks

    Option

    Description

    Scenarios and Constraints

    Reference

    Disk Type

    Disk types are classified based on the disk I/O performance.

    EVS disks are classified into the following types based on performance:

    • High I/O disks: suitable for non-frequently accessed, latency-insensitive workloads
    • Ultra-high I/O disks: suitable for enterprise mission-critical services as well as workloads demanding high throughput and low latency
    • General-purpose SSD disks: suitable for workloads that demand super-high bandwidth and super-low latency
    • General purpose SSD V2 disks: allowing for decoupled capacity and performance to enable tailored IOPS and throughput for your business needs with fixed capacity. This disk type is ideal for mainstream interactive applications that require high performance and low latency.

    EVS disks differ in performance and price. You can choose whichever disk type is the best fit for your applications.

    Disk Types and Performance

    System Disk

    System disk capacity, in GiB.

    EVS disks are billed by disk capacity. Select an appropriate capacity based on service requirements.

    Data Disk

    Data disk capacity, in GiB.

    EVS disks are billed by disk capacity. Select an appropriate capacity based on service requirements.

    IOPS

    The number of read and write operations performed by an EVS disk per second. Value range: 3,000 to 128,000; maximum value: 500 IOPS/GiB.

    This parameter is displayed only when General-Purpose SSD V2 is selected for Disk Type.

    Set IOPS based on the value range and service requirements.

    Throughput

    The amount of data read from and written into an EVS disk per second. Value range: 125 to 1,000 MiB/seconds.

    This parameter is displayed only when General-Purpose SSD V2 is selected for Disk Type.

    Set a desired throughput based on the value range and your service requirements.
    • If you do not have a clear throughput:IOPS ratio in mind, you are advised to use the ratio of 2:100 (with a throughput unit of 1 MiB/s and an IOPS unit of 100). For example, if your planned throughput is 200 MiB/s, configure 10,000 for the IOPS.
    • If the IOPS or throughput of the disk is insufficient in subsequent use, you can change the disk performance by referring to Changing Desktop Disk Performance.
    • The disk size must be an integer multiple of 10.
    • You can configure up to 10 data disks. Set the disk size as needed.

  2. (Optional) Specify whether to encrypt disks.

    1. Select Encryption to go to the encryption page.
    2. Select the Select existing key option.
      1. Select the required key from the Key Name drop-down list.
      2. Click OK.
    3. Select the Enter key ID option.
      1. Enter a key ID in the text box.

        You can view the key ID in the key list.

      2. Click OK.

    A KMS key can be custom, default, or shared.

    • Shared keys: You can use DEW to create grants that allow other accounts to share your keys. For details, see Creating a Grant for a Custom Key.
    • Custom keys: You can select an existing key or create a key. For details about how to create a custom key, see Creating a Custom Key.
    • Key sharing via resources: You can use Resource Access Manager (RAM) to share your keys with other accounts via resource sharing. For details, see Sharing Your Resources.
      • When you use KMS to encrypt disks, the system automatically grants the key to the Workspace service account for creating and using encrypted disks for Workspace.
      • You are advised not to remove the related authorization (grant_to_workspace_xxx). Otherwise, the desktop functions encrypted by the key will be affected. For example, if the authorization is removed, the desktop cannot be started properly.

Advanced Settings

  1. Set the VPC, subnet, security group, IP address assignment mode, and desktop Internet access.

    The VPC service allows you to create logically isolated, configurable, and manageable virtual networks for desktops. You can configure security groups, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), CIDR blocks, and bandwidths in your VPC. Desktops in different VPCs cannot communicate with each other by default.

    • If you want to use the shared VPC and subnet from another account, accept the resource sharing invitation first. For details, see Responding to a Resource Sharing Invitation.
    • For more information about VPC subnet sharing, see VPC Sharing in Virtual Private Cloud User Guide.
    • Set how an IPv4 address will be assigned. Automatically-assigned IP is selected by default.
      • Automatically-assigned IP: The system automatically assigns a private IPv4 address to the primary NIC.
      • Specify IP address: You need to manually assign a private IPv4 address to the primary NIC. Before assigning an IP address, click View In-Use IP Address to check IP addresses that are already in use.
      • Specify existing network interface: This option can be selected only when the selected VPC has available network interfaces. You can select an existing network interface from the drop-down list as the primary network interface.
    • Set the desktop security group: Select the required security group from the drop-down list box based on service requirements.

      Check whether the security group in use includes the inbound and outbound rules required by desktop access. If not, desktop access and use will be affected. For details, see How Do I Configure Security Group Rules When Using a Custom Security Group?

    • Enable Internet access for the desktop.
      • Buy now:
        • Billed by bandwidth: applicable when the traffic is heavy or stable and the bandwidth ranges from 1 Mbit/s to 200 Mbit/s. You can customize the bandwidth as prompted.

          You are billed based on the purchased duration and bandwidth size.

        • Billed by traffic: applicable when the traffic is small or fluctuates greatly and the bandwidth size ranges from 5 Mbit/s to 200 Mbit/s. You can customize the bandwidth as prompted.

          You specify a maximum bandwidth and pay for the outbound traffic you use.

      • Use existing: Bind an existing EIP to the desktop.
      • Not required: To enable desktop Internet access, go to Internet Access Management on the Workspace console.

  1. (Optional) Click Advanced and configure a tag.

    • You are advised to use predefined tags from Tag Management Service (TMS) to add the same tag to different cloud resources.
    • To learn more about tags, see Tag Management Service User Guide.
    • You can add up to 20 tags.
    Table 4 Tag key and value requirements

    Parameter

    Requirements

    Tag key
    • A tag key can contain up to 36 characters.
    • A tag key can contain letters, digits, spaces, and special characters (_.:=+-@), but cannot start with a space or sys, and cannot end with a space.

    Tag value
    • A tag value can contain up to 43 characters.
    • A tag value can contain letters, digits, spaces, and special characters _.:/=+-@

Assigning Desktops

  1. Select the user import mode and configure information of the user to whom a desktop is to be assigned.

    If an existing AD domain is used, you need to create users on the AD server before assigning desktops.

    When creating users, you can set a user or batch import users. For details, see Table 5.

    Table 5 Desktop assignment

    User Authorization

    Parameter Description

    Operation

    Desktop Assignment Type
    • Manually

    Select the Select User or Create option for User Authorization.
    • Batch
    1. Select Batch for Desktop Assignment Type.
    2. Select Single-user for Desktop User Type.
    3. In the Import User List area, click Download a user list template.
    4. Enter serial numbers, usernames, permission groups, and desktop names in the template.
    5. Click Upload to upload the template.
    NOTE:

    The size of the file to be uploaded cannot exceed 1 MB. The username and desktop name must be different.
    • Not assigned
      NOTE:
      • If you purchase a single desktop, the name you specify here will be used as that desktop's name.
      • When you purchase multiple desktops, the desktop name you specify here will be used as a prefix to generate desktop names in ascending order. For example, if the specified desktop name is desktop and you create three desktops, the resulting names will be desktop01, desktop02, and desktop03.
      • To assign a desktop to a user, locate the desired desktop in the desktop list and choose More > Assign Desktop.

    1. Select Not assigned.

    2. Enter the name of the desktop that is not assigned to a user based on site requirements.

    Desktop User Type
    • If Desktop Assignment Type is set to Manually or Batch, you can select only Single-user.
    • If Desktop Assignment Type is set to Not assigned, you can select Single-user or Multi-user.
    • Single-user: A desktop can be assigned to only one user.
    • Multi-user: A desktop can be assigned to multiple users, but only one user can be online at a time. After purchasing a desktop, you can locate the desktop in the desktop list and click Assign Desktop in the Operation column to add multiple users.

    -

    Desktop Naming Rule
    • Do not use any naming rule.
    • Select a naming rule.
      NOTE:

      For details about how to create a naming rule, see Desktop Naming Rules.

    -

    User Authorization

    Select User: When selecting users, you can search for activated users by filter criteria.
    • Search for a user or user group by user type and user or user group name.
    • Select the target username and click OK.

    Click Create. On the Create User page, select By users for User Activation and Manually for User Import.

    • The username is used for user authentication during desktop login.

      Naming rules:

      • A name can contain 1 to 32 characters.
      • A digit-only name is allowed.
      • Only letters, digits, and three types of special characters (-_.) are allowed. The value must start with a letter or digit and cannot end with a period (.) or underscore (_).
      • This field cannot be left blank.
    • The email address is used to receive desktop provisioning emails and related notifications.

      Rules for verifying an email address:

      • Enter a valid email address through system verification.
      • The value can contain a maximum of 64 characters.
      • This field cannot be left blank.
    • The mobile number is used to receive SMS messages about desktop provisioning and related notifications.
      Rules for verifying a mobile number:
      • [+][Country/Region code][Mobile number]
      • For a mobile number in the Chinese mainland, you can omit [+][Country/Region code] and directly enter the mobile number.
      • A mobile number can contain spaces, slashes (/), and hyphens (-).
    • Configure the user information, description, and account expiration settings as prompted.
    • Select the required enterprise project.
    • Click Add User.
      NOTE:

      Enter an email address or a mobile number, or both.

    • Batch set permission groups.
    • Specify the desktop name. If you leave it blank, the system automatically generates a desktop name.
    • Click Add to add a desktop.
    • Add desktops one by one. The number of added desktops cannot exceed the quota.

    Click Create. On the Create User page, select By administrators for User Activation and Manually for User Import.

    • The username is used for user authentication during desktop login.

      Naming rules:

      • A name can contain 1 to 32 characters.
      • A digit-only name is allowed.
      • Only letters, digits, and three types of special characters (-_.) are allowed. The value must start with a letter or digit and cannot end with a period (.) or underscore (_).
      • This field cannot be left blank.
    • The initial password is used to authenticate the first login to a desktop. Keep the initial password secure.
      • The password contains 8 to 32 characters.
      • The value can contain uppercase letters, lowercase letters, digits, and special characters !@$%^-_=+[{}]:,./?
      • The password cannot be the username or the reverse username.
        NOTE:

        If your tenant has connected to an AD domain, By administrators is unavailable by default.

    Click Create. On the Create User page, select By administrators for User Activation and Batch for User Import.

    • Upload the users recorded in the table to create users in batches.
    1. Click Download Template on the right of Import User Info to download a user list template.
    2. Enter the No., username, password (only for By administrators), domain (AD domain where the user is located. If this parameter is not set, the primary domain is used by default), email, mobile number and area code, expiration time, enterprise ID, and description in the table.
    3. Click Upload to upload the template.
    4. Click OK.
    NOTE:

    The size of the file to be uploaded cannot exceed 1 MB. A maximum of 200 records can be uploaded at a time. Only .xlsx and .xls files are supported.

    Click Create. On the Create User page, select By users for User Activation and Batch for User Import.

    • Upload the users recorded in the table to create users in batches.

    Desktop User

    Select User: Select a user to which the desktop is to be assigned.

    • Permission Group is used to distinguish users' permissions on computers.
      • Windows desktop permissions:
      • Administrator group: Users in this group have system administrator permissions, that is, full permissions on a computer. They can perform all management tasks, including managing all users, on the computer.
      • Common user group: Users in this group have basic operation permissions on a computer, for example, running applications. They are not allowed to modify the OS settings or data of other users, or shut down a server computer.
      • NOTE:

        You can click Batch Set to set user permissions in batches.

    • Desktop Name: You can customize the desktop name. The username must be different from the desktop name. Rules for naming a desktop:
      • Only letters, digits, and hyphens (-) are allowed.
      • Must start with a letter or digit and cannot end with a hyphen (-).
      • 1 to 15 characters are allowed.
    • Specifying an IP address: You can configure the specified IP address of the cloud desktop as needed.
      NOTE:

      Click Add in the Operation column of the username to add IP addresses in batches.
    1. Click Select User. The Select User page is displayed.
    2. Select the target user and click OK.

Step 3: Confirm the Configuration and Submit the Order

  1. Set the required duration.
  2. (Optional) Select Auto renewal if needed.

    • For details about the auto-renewal fee deduction rules, see Auto-Renewal Rules.
    • Auto-renewal duration:
      • Monthly: You can renew the subscription for one month each time. The number of renewal times is not limited.
      • Yearly: You can renew the subscription for one year each time. The number of renewal times is not limited.

  3. Select an enterprise project as needed.

    An enterprise project allows you to group cloud resources for easier resource and member management.

  4. Read the disclaimer and select I have read and agree to the Image Management Service Statement.
  5. Click Buy Now. The purchase details page is displayed.
  6. Check data in Cloud Service Orders.
  7. Select a payment method and pay for your order. The purchase is complete.

    After the provisioning is successful, the administrator can view the purchased desktop in the desktop list.

Parent Topic: Purchasing a Desktop/Desktop Pool