Ubuntu WorkSpaces on AWS, a fully managed virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), is now generally available on the public cloud platform.
This marks the first time that a virtual Linux OS desktop has been available on AWS, which has previously only offered iOS and Windows operating systems.
Ubuntu has consistently counted as among the most popular Linux distros, and Canonical, the developer behind Ubuntu, says the new tie-up gives developers access to a wide choice of open source tools and libraries in fields like data science, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud, and internet-of-things.
What does this bring to the table?
“We’ve brought Ubuntu Desktop to Amazon WorkSpaces so developers can streamline the design, coding, pipelines, and deployment of Ubuntu-based workloads, whether instances or containers, all within the AWS environment,” said Alex Gallagher, vice president of the cloud for Canonical.
He added: “Also, Ubuntu virtual desktops on WorkSpaces enable IT organisations to quickly and easily provision high-performance Ubuntu Desktop instances, delivered as a fully managed AWS service.”
In addition, Canonical claims the flexibility provided by Amazon WorkSpaces means developers can spin up and tear down development machines for resource-intensive workloads as and when they are required, without the overhead of purchasing and maintaining additional hardware.
The firm also claims that the solution enables DevOps engineers to switch between complex OS configurations to test multiple environments without needing to reconfigure their local system or provision multiple physical devices.
That’s not all, Canonical says that the new tie will enable remote workers to fulfil their roles without increasing security risks, leveraging AWS security controls, and will also enable company administrators to gain comprehensive control over their developer’s desktop environment
All Ubuntu WorkSpaces will benefit from Ubuntu Pro, which includes support for expanded security patching for 10 years.
Amazon has drafted a best practice guide which can be seen here (opens in new tab), which walks you through the process of assigning Amazon WorkSpaces to users from a directory service.
More information is available in the AWS as part of the guide to getting started on Amazon WorkSpaces (opens in new tab).
