Getting Started - BYUHPC/7lbd GitHub Wiki
Getting 7lbd installed and configured might require a relatively lengthy installation process, but it is significantly less work to install and maintain than an entirely separate traditional Windows infrastructure for high-performance computing (HPC). There are many advantages to running 7lbd compared to maintaining a separate traditional Windows network for HPC. Please note that this Wiki contains dozens of lengthy articles, but this is not because 7lbd is overly complicated. It is because managing Windows under 7lbd is so drastically different than the "normal" way, it requires a great deal of discussion.
Major Installation Steps
Getting a VM Working on Your Cluster
The first section of the installation guide walks through creating and running a Windows VM on your cluster. There is a step-by-step guide on how to build the VM. Then we will get that VM running on your cluster and connect to the console using noVNC through your OnDemand server's reverse proxy. After verifying VNC, we will build and configure the custom Guacamole Lite client, and then use it to connect to the VM. All of these installation and testing steps are executed interactively and do not involve running any jobs on the cluster.
Running VMs in Open OnDemand Jobs and Adding Security
The next section of the installation guide gets Slurm jobs running inside a network namespace, using the spank_iso_netns plugin. You will also install the 7lbd app in Open OnDemand and begin running VM test jobs.
Finishing the Windows VM
After running a bare-bones VM as a job on your cluster, the next step is to finish the VM. This involves configuring and testing user file access, and installing any necessary end-user software.
Getting ready for production
This is where we undo any temporary settings made along the way and try out our finished VM.
Proxy access from RDP clients (optional)
If your users want to access 7lbd Windows desktops directly from a native RDP client (such as Remmina, FreeRDP, or MSTSC), this is possible using BYU's spank_oodproxy solution for Open OnDemand. This solution requires a custom proxy server, the spank_oodproxy plugin, and the 7lbd oodproxy mTLS connector. Additionally, users will need a browser script on their client computers to manage the proxy tunnels and launch their RDP software through the tunnel.
Get started now with the installation guide.