Manage providers (VDI)

Read this section to learn how to modify the configuration of a Provider in Parallels RAS.

Configure a Provider

To configure an existing Provider:

1. In the RAS Console, navigate to Farm > Site > Providers. .
2. In the Providers tab, select a Provider and click Tasks > Properties. The Properties dialog opens.

Enable or disable a Provider in Site

By default a Provider is enabled. To enable or disable a Provider, use the Enable provider in site option on the General tab.

Properties: configure Provider connection settings

The General tab has different properties depending on whether it's a hypervisor-based or cloud-based provider.

Hypervisor Provider:

• Type: Provider type.
• Subtype: Hypervisor version. If the hypervisor version that you are using is not listed, select Other.
• Host: The Provider host IP address.
• Port: Port number on which the Provider listens for incoming connections.
• Resource pool: This field is enabled for VMware vCenter only. If you've specified a vCenter resource pool while adding a Provider, the pool will be displayed here. The [...] button allows you to specify a different pool (or select one if the field is empty), but only if no hosts from the current pool have been created or used in Parallels RAS in any way. If Parallels RAS detects any current usage, you will see a warning message and will not be able to change it. If you still want to select a different resource pool, you'll have manually do a full clean up in the RAS Console, so that no usage of any kind exists.
• Description: An optional description.
• Dedicated Provider Agent: Select this option if you have a dedicated RAS Provider Agent installed on a different host. Enter the host FQDN or IP address in the Agent address field.

Cloud-based Provider:

• Type: Cloud-based Provider type (e.g. Microsoft Azure).
• Name: Provider name.
• Description: An optional description.
• Credentials: Credentials for the account used for installing RAS Guest Agent.
• Dedicated Provider Agent: Select this option if you have a dedicated RAS Provider Agent installed on a different host. Enter the host FQDN or IP address in the Agent address field.

For description of the remaining properties of Microsoft Azure, please see Add Microsoft Azure as a Provider.

Credentials: configure username and password

The Credentials tab has different properties depending on whether it's a hypervisor-based or cloud-based host.

Hypervisor Provider:

• Specify the username and password to log in to the Provider. Click the Check Credentials button to verify the credentials that you've entered.

Cloud-based Provider:

• See Add Microsoft Azure as a Provider or Adding AWS as a Provider.

Advanced

The Advanced tab allows you to configure a provider to automatically change the type of the used managed disk to Standard HDD for VMs that are not currently in use. When a VM is started, the managed disk is automatically changed to the original type. This feature allows you to reduce the cost of maintaining VMs.

To enable disk storage cost optimization:

1. Right-click a provider in the list and choose Properties.
2. In the provider properties window, select the Advanced tab.
3. Select the Enable disk storage cost optimization option.
4. Select the desired option in the Set timeout before enabling storage cost optimization drop-down list.

MAC addresses

This tab is only displayed for Microsoft Hyper-V Failover Cluster as the Provider. It is used to enable or disable MAC address management for hosts. For more information, please see Add a hypervisor host (read the description of the step where the MAC address management is configured).

Please note that MAC address management is available in Parallels RAS since version 18. In new Parallels RAS 18 installations, this functionality is enabled by default when a Provider of type Microsoft Hyper-V Failover Cluster is added to a farm. In older Parallels RAS versions, the functionality is disabled for existing Providers, but is enabled by default when a new Provider is added.