Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Documentation

Configuring Your Desktop

Before using the desktop for day-to-day work, complete any necessary initial configuration tasks.

Windows

Linux

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Relocating User Folders to the OCI Storage Volume (Windows only)

Initially, for a Windows virtual desktop, the user folders (Downloads, Documents, and so on) are located on the virtual desktop's local disk (C:). It is recommended that you relocate these folders to the OCI Volume (D:) to protect your files from data loss.

  1. On the virtual desktop, open File Explorer.
  2. Right-click the item to relocate (such as Documents).
  3. Select Properties and click the Location tab.
  4. Change the location to OCI Volume (D:). For example, change C:\Users\DesktopUser\Documents to D:\Users\DesktopUser\Documents and then click OK.
  5. Click Yes to confirm the folder creation.
  6. Click Yes to move the existing files from the old location to the new location.
  7. Repeat for all folders you want to relocate (such as Downloads, Pictures, Music, and so on).

Why should I relocate the user folders?

The OCI Volume (D:) is the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure block volume associated with your username (see Understanding the Desktop File System). Relocating the folders to the block volume ensures your files are stored in a location that is regularly backed up (depending on the backup policy selected by the desktop administrator). In addition, the block volume persists if the desktop is terminated and can be transferred to another desktop if needed.

Changing the Desktop Environment to XFCE or KDE (Linux only)

For Linux virtual desktops using the base images, the default desktop environment is GNOME. Optionally, you can configure XFCE or KDE instead.

The following process is intended for individual users who want to use a different X11 environment. If an administrator wants to configure a custom image for a specific environment, they must edit /etc/sysconfig/desktop to specify the environment. For example, DESKTOP=KDE.

Caution

Incorrectly setting the permissions on the .Xclients file can cause you to permanently lose access to the desktop. Use caution when following this procedure and verify permissions before logging out of the desktop.
  1. Ensure the desktop environment you want to change to has been installed.
  2. Create $HOME/.Xclients to include the following content:

    For XFCE:

    #!/bin/sh
DESKTOP=$(type -p startxfce4)

if [ -n "$DESKTOP" ];then
exec $DESKTOP
else
   # XFCE4 not installed, fallback
   exec /etc/X11/xinit/Xclients
fi

    For KDE:

    #!/bin/sh

DESKTOP=$(type -p startkde)

if [ -n "$DESKTOP" ];then
exec $DESKTOP
else
   # KDE not installed, fallback
   exec /etc/X11/xinit/Xclients
fi
  3. Change the permission of the file: 
    chmod a+x .Xclients
  4. IMPORTANT: Verify the file permissions. Incorrect permissions will cause the desktop to become inaccessible. 
    $ ls -l .Xclients
-rwxrwxr-x. 1 desktopuser desktopuser 156 Aug 24 14:39 .Xclients
  5. Log out and then reopen the desktop.

Moving Files Between Your Local System and the Virtual Desktop

If the desktop administrator has enabled full drive mapping access, you can move files between your local system and the virtual desktop.

  1. You must be using the installed client. The web client does not support drive mapping.
  2. Review Understanding the Desktop File System for a description of drive locations.
  3. Use standard file management functions (such as drag and drop, copy and paste, or the cp command) to move content between systems:
    • Windows desktops: move files between C (rw) or My Home (rw) and OCI Volume (D:)
    • Linux desktops: move files between /home/desktopuser and 'My SGD Drives'