# Planning For Deployment

Before activating your server with <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code>, familiarise yourself with the concepts and planning steps below.

## Serverless Design&#x20;

<code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> is a client tool, so even when activating <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> as a desktop server, there is no <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> *service component* installed on the server; only the <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> client is installed and it is activated in a *desktop server mode*. There is a <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> service component but it [runs in the cloud](https://docs.zeedrive.com/introduction/architecture), not on your server.

After activating the desktop server, <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> will set itself to start-up automatically when a user signs in to the computer. <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> will start-up, and map the user's network drives that have been configured on the subscription.

An instance of <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> will start-up for each user that signs in to the desktop server. E.g. if 10 users are signed in to the server, then 10 instances of <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> will start-up.

## Licence Pools And Licenced Users

When activating <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> as a desktop server, a pool of Shared Computer licences must be assigned to the server. These licences are [floating licences](#user-content-fn-1)[^1].

The number of Shared Computer licences in the licence pool determines the maximum number of concurrent users supported on the server.

Therefore to calculate the number of Shared Computer licences you must assign to the licence pool, you need to know the maximum number of concurrent users you expect on the desktop servers or VDI.

<code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> will only start-up successfully for licenced users. A licenced user is a user that has been set up on the <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> subscription with either a Personal Computer User licence or Shared Computer User licence.

For more information on licence planning for a desktop server, see [licence-desktop-servers](https://docs.zeedrive.com/how-to/licence-desktop-servers "mention").

## Golden Images

If your virtual desktop environments or desktop server environments are based on [golden images](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-desktop/set-up-golden-image), then your target for activation should be the golden image, rather than the instances created from the golden image.

By activating the golden image, all instances created from it will automatically be *activated* with <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code>.

For example; when installing software and configuring your virtual machine instance prior to *preparing/snapshotting* it as a golden image, activate <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> on the instance.

This approach works for both golden images for VDI, and for golden images used for the RDS servers themselves.

## Username Resolution

After the server has been activated, when users sign in to the server, <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> will start-up automatically. <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> will attempt to identify the user to validate they are set-up on the associated <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> subscription.

If the user is [Entra joined](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/devices/device-join-out-of-box) on the computer, or, the server is joined to an Active Directory domain, then <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> will automatically resolve their username and validate whether the user is set up on the <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> subscription. In the case of an Active Directory domain, review [configure-active-directory-username-lookup](https://docs.zeedrive.com/administration-guide/deploying-to-desktop-servers/configure-active-directory-username-lookup "mention") to ensure the look-up attribute is configured correctly.

if <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> can't resolve the username automatically, then the user will be prompted to enter their <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> username manually, but only for the first time <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> starts-up. After which, <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> will remember the user's selection and will start-up automatically thereafter.

Here's the end user experience where <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> requires them to provide their username:

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
A pop-up notification will show in the user's system tray informing the user they need to enter their username. The user can either click the pop-up notification, or, click the blue Z icon in their system tray

<figure><img src="https://4182749601-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FBkDVFDwNmEHlZv1KwwiY%2Fuploads%2F8izurviAvNooCZnwi5dq%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=8992ead1-3f22-46fe-80da-3d2daeddf5bb" alt=""><figcaption><p>Either click the pop-up notification in the system tray</p></figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="https://4182749601-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FBkDVFDwNmEHlZv1KwwiY%2Fuploads%2F3wJzv8K6kmva0SSOfIjP%2Fz.png?alt=media&#x26;token=af5b1ac8-daf8-4d99-9902-30e0c46f3f9b" alt=""><figcaption><p>or click the blue Z icon in the system tray</p></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
The <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> window will pop-open. The user should enter their username, then click the Validate button. On successful validation, the green tick mark will show. The user should click the Next button

<figure><img src="https://4182749601-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FBkDVFDwNmEHlZv1KwwiY%2Fuploads%2FXmqiwODEA5ilEkAswDs2%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=6dc7fed9-f99d-4235-9a49-9ae85a8f9d55" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %} <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> is now ready to start-up. The user should click the "Startup" button. <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> will now start-up and map the user's network drives. When the user next signs in to the server, they will no longer be prompted again and <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> will start-up automatically

<figure><img src="https://4182749601-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FBkDVFDwNmEHlZv1KwwiY%2Fuploads%2FqrCGDnrsCRHCdHaXDX96%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=8fc97e21-fe6b-45aa-af73-60934ae595bf" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Enabling The <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> System Tray Icon For RemoteApp Environments

If the server you plan to activate is a RemoteApp server, and you want the <code class="expression">space.vars.PRODUCT\_NAME</code> system tray icon to show for users, then you will need to make a change to the server registry to allow tray icons from the server to show on users' desktops.

To enable the Zee Drive [system tray icon on RemoteApp and XenApp](https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/lync/en-US/4122521f-7896-4098-a723-858077a243f1/remoteapp-notification-area-icons-not-visable?forum=winserverTS) environments;

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Open the Windows Registry Editor and navigate to the path `Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server` and identify the key `RailShowallNotifyIcons`

<figure><img src="https://4182749601-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FBkDVFDwNmEHlZv1KwwiY%2Fuploads%2FIWKswlqBOXVi6PYRmrY8%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=5c6306ab-3d27-491c-8c92-d7e95952a782" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Verify that the value of `RailShowallNotifyIcons` is set to 1 (REG\_DWORD). If not, then double-click `RailShowallNotifyIcons`, set the value to 1 and then click OK
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

[^1]: Definition from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_licensing): Floating licensing, also known as concurrent licensing or network licensing, is a software licensing approach in which a limited number of licenses for a software application are shared among a larger number of users over time. When an authorized user wishes to run the application, they request a license from a central license server. If a license is available, the license server allows the application to run. When they finish using the application, or when the allowed license period expires, the license is reclaimed by the license server and made available to other authorized users