This page describes the process typically used in the Horizon Universal Console where the console's Imported VMs page lists single-pod-based VMs that are in your tenant's Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure deployments. To use such single-pod images with IMS, first move them to the console's Multi-Pod Images page from where you can make them into multi-pod images.

Important: To be supported for use in first-gen Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure deployments, all imported base images must be built from Windows-based VMs that are sourced from the Azure Marketplace. Even if you try an image obtained from other origins and the console does not prevent you from using it within the console's workflows, use of such images is unsupported.

If the image is running a Windows 11 operating system, in addition to the requirement to be directly sourced from the Azure Marketplace, the image cannot have been subsequently processed for it to be validly supported in first-gen Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure deployments. Importing Windows 11 VM from any other sources such as Shared Image Gallery (SIG), Azure Managed Images, Azure VM snapshot, and the like is currently unsupported.

For additional considerations about supported combinations of Gen-1 and Gen-2 machines for the image-related workflows with first-gen Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure deployments, which OSes are supported for which machine generation, refer to Support for Images Sourced from Pods on Microsoft Azure.

The console's Imported VMs page lists single-pod-based VMs by design. A single-pod-based VM gets listed on the page as an outcome from two scenarios. One scenario is when you manually import a base VM from the Azure Marketplace into a specific Horizon Cloud pod. The other scenario is when a base VM is created in a specific pod using the single-pod Import VM from Marketplace workflow on that Imported VMs page.

The console's Imported VMs page provides two options for publishing imported VMs as sealed golden images:

  • Publish to Images - This option publishes a VM as a single-pod assignable image on the Images page.
  • Move to Multi-Pod Images - This option moves a VM to the Multi-Pod Images page where you can then publish it as a multi-pod image.

This topic describes the Move to Multi-Pod Images option.

In the Move to Multi-Pod Images flow, the system retains the size of the VM that is being moved.

Prerequisites

  • This procedure is only available for desktop VMs.
  • For your Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure deployments, this feature is only available if all those pods are at the manifest version specified in First-Gen Tenants - IMS System Requirements.
  • Before moving a VM to the Multi-Pod Images page, confirm that you have installed and paired the correct Horizon Agent on the VM.
Attention: For images created and published in the past on individual pods in Microsoft Azure without using the Image Management Service (IMS), you must first duplicate the image on the Images page. This creates a duplicate VM on the Imported VMs page that you can then move using the steps below. For information about duplication, see Actions You Can Perform on Published Images from Horizon Cloud Pods in Microsoft Azure.

Procedure

  1. On the Imported VMs page, select the VM and click Move to Multi-Pod Images.
  2. Specify options as described in the following table.
    Option Description
    Image Name Enter a name for the image.
    Important: Do not enter a name that was previously used for an image in your Horizon Cloud environment. Due to a known issue, the VM creation process fails silently if you reuse a name that is already listed on the Multi-Pod Images page. The system will not create the VM in Microsoft Azure, however, an error message does not appear in the administrative console.

    When selecting a name, confirm that the name you are using does not already appear as an image name on either the Multi-Pod Images page or the Images page.

    The name must adhere to the following rules:

    • It cannot contain an underscore character (_).
    • It can have only alphanumeric characters and the hyphen.
    • The name must start with an alphabetic character (not a number).
    • The name cannot end with a hyphen (-).
    Description Enter an optional description for the image.
    Markers
    Important: You must assign at least one marker to have the image later available for creating assignments in the console's Create Assignment workflow. If you do not assign at least one marker now, the image will not appear in the UI as a choice in the assignment creation workflow later. Ensure you have at least one string displayed in this box before you click Import.

    Use this UI box to define one or more reference markers that you want to associate with the image. The markers will be associated with version 1.0 of the image.

    As you type in characters, those characters appear in both the UI's box and in a blue row below the box.

    Important: After typing in characters, you must complete the addition of the marker to this UI box. Either press your Enter key or click the string displayed in the blue row below the box. After the string is fully added to the UI box, the box will display the characters with a curved outline around them and a little x for removing it. If you do not see the string displayed in the box with a curved outline around it, then the marker is unsaved. The marker needs to be saved for the image to be used in assignments.
    Include GPU

    Enable this toggle to specify a GPU-enabled multi-pod image as the result of the move.

    • This option is not supported for the Windows 7 operating system. Therefore, you will not see this wizard option if you selected a Windows 7 operating system.
    • If this toggle is dimmed, that means your Microsoft Azure subscription in the selected pod's region does not support GPU hardware.
    Attention: If you are planning to use this image for GPU-enabled desktops or remote applications, ensure that the selected pod resides in a Microsoft Azure region that supports GPU-enabled virtual machines (VMs) and that your Microsoft Azure subscription supports GPU-enabled VMs. GPU-enabled VMs are only available in some Microsoft Azure regions. See Microsoft Azure Products by region for details.
    Important: When enabling GPU, after the base VM is created, you must log into the VM's operating system and install the appropriate graphics drivers to get the GPU capabilities of the Microsoft Azure GPU-enabled VM. You install the drivers after the workflow is completed.
    Username Type the admin name that you want for the VM's local administrator account. This local administrator account is created in the VM during the process. This name is used for the local admin account to access the VM's operating system. This name can be a maximum of 15 characters in length, must not end in a period ("."), and must not be one of the admin names that are not allowed when creating a VM in Microsoft Azure.
    Note: The user name you enter must meet the Microsoft requirements for acceptable user names for creating a VM in Microsoft Azure. For the list of requirements, see username requirements in the Microsoft documentation.
    Important: Ensure you can remember this local administrator account information (this name and the password that you specify in the Password text box), or that you write it down so you can retrieve the information later. You need these credentials to add any third-party applications to this base image.
    Password Type the password that you want for that administrator account. The password must adhere to the Microsoft Azure password rules:
    • Must not be one of the admin account passwords that are not allowed when creating a VM in Microsoft Azure
    • Must be from 12 through 123 characters in length and meet three out of the following four complexity requirements:
      • Contain a lowercase character
      • Contain an uppercase character
      • Contain a digit
      • Contain a special character, such as (!@#$%/^&*)
    Note: The password you enter must meet the Microsoft requirements for acceptable passwords for creating a VM in Microsoft Azure. For the list of requirements, see password requirements in the Microsoft documentation.
    Verify Password Retype the password.
  3. Click Move.
    Horizon Image Management Service imports the image into the catalog and creates a new image in the list on the Multi-Pod Images page. This is version 1.0 of the image and has status of Deployment Complete.

What to do next

Publish image version 1.0 to your cloud-connected pods. See First-Gen Tenants - Publish an Image Version - Horizon Image Management Service.
Note: When you publish an image moved from the Imported VMs page, the Install Horizon Agent option is not available because you should have already installed the correct version of the agent.