Create a template

To create a template:

1. On the Templates tab, click Tasks > Add. This opens the Create Parallels Template Wizard.
2. On the first page, select an Azure Virtual Desktop provider (if you have more than one).
3. Select a template type from the following:
   • Multi-session: Multiple concurrent user sessions are allowed on a single host running a Windows Server operating system, Windows 10 or Windows 11 Enterprise multi-session.
   • Single-session: A single user session is allowed on a single session host.
4. On the Template Source page, select a source from the following:
   • Custom host: Displays a list of existing virtual machines.
   • Azure Gallery: Allows you to select an image and create a new virtual machine from it. Depending on the template type, multi-session or single-session, commonly used marketplace images such as Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session, are predefined to be easily chosen and created as a template. Select a location and specify the local administrator username and password. The Browse all images button opens a dialog where you can choose any other image from the Marketplace or Shared Image Gallery. When choosing an image from the Shared Image Gallery, select from a list of publishers, SKUs, offers, and other options.
5. On the Properties page, type a template name and specify the following options:
   • Number of hosts to deploy on wizard completion: How many hosts to create as soon as the template is created.
   • Maximum number of hosts: The maximum allowed number of hosts that can be created from the template.
   • Create an availability set: If selected, hosts will be deployed from the template in an availability set. Note that the maximum number of hosts that can be deployed in an availability set is 200 (this is an Azure limitation). If you require more than 200 hosts, clear this option and specify your own value in the Maximum number of hosts field.
   • Host prefix: Specify a host prefix that will be used when naming hosts.
6. On the Settings tab, specify the following:
   • Keep available buffer: The minimum number of hosts to always keep unassigned and session free for this template. As soon as the number of free and unassigned hosts drops below the setting value, it forces the template to create another host. The template uses its own settings for hosts creation including the initial power state.
   • Host power state after the preparation: Select whether a host should be powered on or off after it is ready.
   • Delete unused hosts after: Select a time period after which an unused host should be deleted.
7. On the Hosts page, select virtual machine properties from the predefine Azure values according to your needs:
   • First, specify an Azure resource group.
   • Select a virtual machine size.

     Note: The virtual machine size can be overridden in the settings of the host pool using a given template. This gives you the ability to specify a different VM size at the host pool level.

   • Select a disk type.
   • Select a virtual network and subnet.

Note: In case using Accelerated networking for the Template, make sure you select the appropriate host size for session hosts that support accelerated networking.

1. On the Optimization page, configure optimization settings. These settings are inherited from Site defaults but custom settings can be specified if needed. For details, please see Site defaults (Azure Virtual Desktop).
2. On the Preparation page, select an image preparation and specify the required options. This is similar to how an image is prepared for a RAS VDI template. There are some minor differences, but the configuration procedure is essentially the same. For details, please see Preparation.
3. On the Summary page, review the settings and click Finish to create the template.