Configuring Your Desktop
Before using the desktop for day-to-day work, complete any necessary initial configuration tasks.
Windows
- Relocating User Folders to the OCI Storage Volume (Windows only)
- Moving Files Between Your Local System and the Virtual Desktop
Linux
- Changing the Desktop Environment to XFCE or KDE (Linux only)
- Moving Files Between Your Local System and the Virtual Desktop
Learn More
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.
- On the virtual desktop, open File Explorer.
- Right-click the item to relocate (such as Documents).
- Select Properties and click the Location tab.
-
Change the location to OCI Volume (D:). For example, change
C:\Users\DesktopUser\Documents
toD:\Users\DesktopUser\Documents
and then click OK. - Click Yes to confirm the folder creation.
- Click Yes to move the existing files from the old location to the new location.
- 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.
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.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.