TMG in a Cloud VDI?

[Helge Haugland 0]

Is anyone running TMG in a VDI cloud like Amazon Workspace or Paperspace? Will it work? What are your experiences?

I have mostly switched to Linux, but TMG makes me keep the dualboot with Windows. As I understand, with a cloud VDI, I can access the application through any browser.

Edited June 3, 2018 by Helge Haugland

[svhous 0]

Experienced users have said not to use cloud backups, as they may mess up your files if you have TMG open at the time, as TMG may be using a file when the backup is occurring. Does that apply here?

[Michael Hannah 0]

Yes.

[Helge Haugland 0]

20 hours ago, Michael Hannah said:

Yes.

I take this to mean you are using TMG from a Cloud VDI and it will work. Thank you for your help.

[Michael Hannah 0]

No, sorry I was so brief, but you misunderstood. I meant that, yes, one should expect the same problems mentioned, and I would not recommend it.

[Helge Haugland 0]

Oh, ok. Thanks you for the explanation.

[John Cardinal 0]

On 6/5/2018 at 12:18 AM, Michael Hannah said:

No, sorry I was so brief, but you misunderstood. I meant that, yes, one should expect the same problems mentioned, and I would not recommend it.

Michael,

I assume that Helge was asking about using a Windows virtual desktop to run TMG. If so, I don't think that would be subject to the issues with cloud-based backup programs. There may be other issues depending on exactly how the virtual desktop is implemented.

[Michael Hannah 0]

If the virtual desktop in running on the user's own desktop then it would not have the problems warned about as shown by TMG's successful operation with Parallels.  But if the virtual desktop is running on some external cloud computer, I would definitely worry that it might have the same problems we have seen before, depending upon the implementation of the interaction with the external cloud.  It "may" work, but I wouldn't trust it.

[John Cardinal 0]

23 hours ago, Michael Hannah said:

If the virtual desktop in running on the user's own desktop then it would not have the problems warned about as shown by TMG's successful operation with Parallels.  But if the virtual desktop is running on some external cloud computer, I would definitely worry that it might have the same problems we have seen before, depending upon the implementation of the interaction with the external cloud.  It "may" work, but I wouldn't trust it.

If the virtual desktop worked by remoting the display, keyboard, and mouse, that would probably work. Of course, any non-standard use of TMG should be tested before relying on it to work.

Any backup program that accesses TMG project files while TMG is running may interfere with the proper operation of TMG and may create copies of the project files where those files are not valid when taken as a whole. That's why it's a bad idea to use a backup program that is active when TMG is running. (Excepting, of course, TMG's Backup feature.) The two technical issues are shared access to the project files and the timing of making backup copies. Regarding the latter, if a program copies file "A" at moment 1 and copies file "B" at moment 2, the copy of "B" may no longer be in sync with the copy of "A" because of a data update between moment 1 and moment 2. Those issues may or may not arise with a virtual desktop, but I suspect they aren't likely. There may be other issues, however, so I understand your skepticism.

[Michael Hannah 0]

Yes, "skepticism" is the appropriate word.  I have heard of some cloud-based virtual desktops operating as follows:

Create a temp space for the program and data files.  Do real time automatic cloud backup of the temp data files while the program is running.  If that is the implementation, then the well-known issue of automatic backup could arise.