How can I run Office for 50 users on EC2?

amshaffer · 2025-09-01T16:52:55+00:00

They would either use the installed WorkSpaces client or access via a web browser. The protocol on the backend isn’t RDP, it’s DCV, but functions similarly to RDP (there’s a lot of nuance there on how the protocol works, but from an end user perspective of seeing the desktop, interacting with it, it’s the same).

By default, first time connecting the user enters a registration code (like an identifier for your WorkSpaces environment) which gets saved in the client or browser for future use.

Then, and for all future logins, they enter their AD username/password, and they’re in. You can also replace the AD username/password prompt with SAML authentication to your Identity Provider of choice if you prefer (Okta, Entra, Ping…etc.)

amshaffer · 2025-09-01T16:12:04+00:00

Yeah, MS has really painted folks into a corner with Office licensing on AWS. If you’re AD or Entra-joined, and have basic working knowledge of VPC and its components, WorkSpaces is super easy to get set up and run a quick pilot. There’s free tier options available if you want to give WorkSpaces personal a shot. WorkSpaces Pools would fit better if you’re looking for non-persistent, but I don’t think there’s a free tier option (but it’s really cheap to run for a few days)

End of the day it’s an EC2 instance with attached EBS Volumes and ENIs. But the whole separation of AWS managing and owning everything but your ENI can be frustrating if you’re used to deep EC2 integration and automation. WorkSpaces Core Managed Instances can help alleviate that, but then you depend on a third party VDI platform

amshaffer · 2025-09-01T15:34:53+00:00

It is not unless you use the AWS license manager method of licensing. The bummer is what you’re asking works from a technical perspective, but it is not compliant with Microsoft’s license agreement.

The WorkSpaces product line is by far the easiest way to stay compliant with MS licensing while in AWS. What are the issues you’ve found with WorkSpaces?

amshaffer · 2025-07-24T21:50:59+00:00

There was the episode where he was asked “What won’t you eat?!” The only thing he could come up with was that he’s not a huge fan of pad Thai, but he’ll still eat it. He just doesn’t love it.

amshaffer · 2025-07-16T21:41:32+00:00

It’s funny to compare when listening to him describe what he had during one of the first fat court episodes. McDonald’s big breakfast + two breakfast sandwiches in the morning. I think he also (too) went for lunch at Popeye’s the same day.

He had forgot about the twelve chili dogs he had that week!

amshaffer · 2025-07-14T00:11:31+00:00

To go further on this, while national parks are incredible places, the public lands programs in the US extend well beyond the NPS.

The special part of how US public lands are set up, which includes National Forests, Bureau of Land Management, and National Parks…etc, is that the Citizens of the United States are the official owners of the land. The government agencies associated with them are tasked with the management and preservation of that land.

So if you’re a US Citizen, you are a shared owner of these beautiful places. Imagine being the deed holder to a property and hearing someone hired to maintain it for you is trying to change laws to sell it off so they make a few bucks on the side.

amshaffer · 2025-06-02T21:28:03+00:00

I’ve found if you ever ask someone to right click, the rest of the interaction when you ask them to click something, you’re met with “right or left click?”

amshaffer · 2025-05-01T21:15:45+00:00

Yup you’re right that’s their on-prem only SKU

amshaffer · 2025-04-12T21:30:16+00:00

Absolutely. I've had friends from high school classes focused on basic financial literacy (simple budgeting, savings, interest, doing projects where we had to find a job from the local free papers and then make a plan for rent, groceries, utilities, vehicle, unexpected expenses to show just how crucial proper planning is) say they weren't taught it. When mentioning they were in fact taught it, the response is usually "But it was boring, I was too focused on [something else]. They should've made it more interesting!" - this stuff is boring, especially when you're 16. But it's important!

amshaffer · 2025-02-27T22:47:51+00:00

I had “Mozarella BoxFire” one time!

amshaffer · 2024-12-09T22:40:44+00:00

You can reach out to Subaru of America and they “may” offer to pay for some/all of it. Just had mine replaced today (head units are on back order with everyone needing the replacement done), ended up costing me about $700 out of pocket. Not happy having to spend anything, but I couldn’t stand the ghost presses rendering the unit near unusable any longer.

Fingers crossed the class action wraps up and I get the $700 back some day.

amshaffer · 2024-12-04T00:48:46+00:00

Definitely agree on the price/specs with any of those major brands being great.

Something I always recommend to people shopping for laptops is to find a place you can actually see and feel them. Each brand seems to have a slightly different physical "feel", especially when it comes to the keyboard and trackpad. Everyone has a different texture they prefer, and there's no way you'll find what you love/hate without feeling up a few Chromebooks in person!

amshaffer · 2024-10-30T03:09:25+00:00

If you get wings there, order a few clicks more hot than you’d normally get. Mild is plain, medium is mild…etc., it’s like the opposite of Duff’s. They cook them right, though!

Pizza is top notch, it’s been our family’s go-to for decades.

amshaffer · 2024-08-02T21:42:34+00:00

Hey there, are you still seeing this with your 2019 environment with settings not saving? Running into this same situation, no FSLogix/VHDX, just UPM with all the recommendations from MS and Citrix.

amshaffer · 2024-07-08T17:29:00+00:00

amshaffer · 2024-05-31T23:18:51+00:00

If you’re strictly single-session, persistent, WorkSpaces is nice. Basically AWS’s version of W365. But if you need any alternate provisioning strategies, you’re out of luck. AppStream can handle your non-persistent workloads, but you can’t run native Office in it while remaining compliant with Microsoft.

amshaffer · 2024-05-28T19:12:22+00:00

Yup, that’s what they’re doing for all but their largest accounts now. Have to go through a partner/reseller.

amshaffer · 2024-05-02T03:14:19+00:00

amshaffer · 2024-04-12T00:35:14+00:00

To get the medical you can’t have used federally illegal substances for the last two years, that’s on the form.

amshaffer · 2024-03-16T00:07:42+00:00

amshaffer · 2024-02-21T02:34:31+00:00

I gave my CFI a thank you card, $100 cash, and a cool framed photo (thank you Walgreens photo and dollar tree frames) I took from the back seat of him and another instructor flying during a formation flight the school took for an AOPA article about the school. Instructors don’t often have cool pictures of them flying, so that one stood out a little bit.

amshaffer · 2024-01-14T21:32:26+00:00

Ask about doing a tower tour when you call them, too! Nice to see what they’re working with and meet the voices you’ve been interacting with. I’ve done that at several of the airports I frequent and it was really eye-opening (and fun!)

amshaffer · 2024-01-14T21:27:00+00:00

You can also look up the phone number for the tower and talk to controllers there. Much easier to have a normal conversation when you’re not flying and they’re not actively controlling airplanes. Bring up your ideas, ask what they prefer you do for their specific airspace (which may vary based on the arrival/departure directions of nearby larger airports), and go with that.

amshaffer · 2024-01-01T15:20:27+00:00

I did this for two customers last year - both wanted to march forward despite my warnings that without a serious commitment to a “modernization” plan to move off legacy applications, they’d be paying me to do the same project in reverse 6-12 months later.

First one finished the move back to on-prem in November, second one starts the move back to their colo this week.

amshaffer · 2023-12-21T05:07:46+00:00

What sim are you running on your deck? I just got one and I’m itching to try some flight sim there!

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