This tutorial shows how to create a virtual Windows workstation running Windows Server 2022 with an attached display-capable [GPU](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/gpus). Google Cloud offers three display-capable GPUs: NVIDIA L4, NVIDIA T4, and NVIDIA P4. To create a Linux workstation, see the tutorial for [Creating a virtual GPU-accelerated Linux workstation](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/virtual-workstation/linux-gpu). > [!NOTE] > **Note:** This tutorial helps you create a virtual workstation that can take advantage of hardware graphics acceleration. For information about other types of virtual workstations that you can create on Google Cloud, see [Creating a virtual workstation](https://docs.cloud.google.com/architecture/creating-a-virtual-workstation). After you create the virtual workstation, you learn how to remotely access it using [HP Anyware](https://anyware.hp.com/) (formerly Teradici CAS), using [PC-over-IP (PCoIP®)](https://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=4AA8-3293ENW) technology, a remote desktop protocol widely used in the media and entertainment, game development, architecture, and engineering industries. PCoIP offers features essential to these types of workloads, such as color accuracy, support for multiple monitors, lossless display, and tablet pressure sensitivity. This tutorial assumes you are familiar with Microsoft Windows and the PowerShell command line. ## Objectives - Create a Compute Engine instance with a GPU. This instance serves as the foundation for a virtual workstation. - Install NVIDIA drivers on the virtual workstation. - Install HP Anyware software on the virtual workstation. - Connect to the virtual workstation using a PCoIP software client. > [!NOTE] > **Note:** This tutorial does not include advanced security features such as fine-grained SSH key management, certificate issuance, or multi-factor authentication (MFA). A full deployment requires a [connection broker](https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Connection_broker) and [domain controller](https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_controller_(Windows)), which help enable a stronger security profile for connecting to virtual workstations. ## Costs This tutorial uses the following billable component of Google Cloud: - [Compute Engine](https://cloud.google.com/products/compute/pricing) You can use the [pricing calculator](https://cloud.google.com/products/calculator/estimate-preview/CiRhMTFhZDVhMy00Y2I2LTQwMzktODY2ZS02OTZlOTkxNDUzM2IQAQ==) to generate a cost estimate based on your projected usage. The resources that make up the virtual workstation and the factors that affect cost in this tutorial are: - 8 vCPUs, 32 GB RAM [G2 standard machine type](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/vm-instance-pricing#accelerator-optimized) which includes an [NVIDIA L4 Virtual Workstation GPU](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/gpus#gpu-virtual-workstations). - [Windows licensing](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/disks-image-pricing#premiumimages) - 100 GB SSD [persistent boot disk](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/disks-image-pricing#persistentdisk) - [Internet outbound data transfer costs](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vpc/network-pricing#internet_egress) Internet data transfer represents data that streams from your virtual workstation to your local display client and is billed at [internet outbound data transfer costs](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vpc/network-pricing#internet_egress). Variables that affect data transfer during a PCoIP session are bandwidth, screen resolution, number of display monitors, applications used, and the type of activity on each monitor. The HP Anyware [Session Planning Guide](https://anyware.hp.com/products/hp-anyware/2025.03/documentation/session-planning-guide) can help you understand different workload requirements. > [!NOTE] > **Note:** Costs differ depending on region and connection method. These estimated costs are based on connection over the public internet, with resources located in the `us-central1` region (Iowa). ## Before you begin This tutorial uses the Google Cloud CLI, which you can run from a [Cloud Shell](https://docs.cloud.google.com/shell/docs/starting-cloud-shell) instance launched from the [](https://console.cloud.google.com/)[Google Cloud console](https://console.cloud.google.com/). If you want to use gcloud CLI on your local workstation, install the [Google Cloud CLI](https://docs.cloud.google.com/sdk/docs). The tutorial shows you how to run commands in Cloud Shell; if you use the gcloud CLI on your workstation, adjust the instructions accordingly.
In addition, make sure you have the following: - A Google Cloud project with quota for [NVIDIA L4 Virtual Workstation GPUs](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/gpus#gpu-virtual-workstations) in your selected [zone](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/gpus/gpu-regions-zones). You can get a listing of GPU availability using the `gcloud compute accelerator-types list` command. - A [Google Chrome](https://www.google.com/chrome/) browser to access the Google Cloud console. - The latest [PCoIP Client software](https://anyware.hp.com/find/product/hp-anyware) for Windows, Mac, or Linux to access the virtual workstation. - An account on [help.teradici.com](https://help.teradici.com/) to download the HP Anyware software. Account registration is free. - An HP Anyware software license. You can [request a trial license](https://reinvent.hp.com/Anyware-Demo), or contact your HP representative and ask for a trial registration code to use for this virtual workstation. ## Architecture The following diagram shows the components used in this tutorial to deploy a single virtual workstation. Optional components shown in the diagram include different ways to connect to your virtual workstation, shared storage, an additional instance for serving third-party licenses, and additional infrastructure representing a render or compute farm. ![Virtual workstation architecture.](https://docs.cloud.google.com/static/compute/docs/virtual-workstation/img/creating-a-virtual-gpu-accelerated-workstation-architecture.svg) ## Choose a region An important factor when you deploy a virtual workstation is the latency between your location and the instance you create. The lower the latency, the better the experience. Therefore, you want to work in a region that's geographically closest to you. To learn more about where the different GPUs are available, see [GPU regions and zones availability](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/gpus/gpu-regions-zones). 1. Open Cloud Shell. (If you're using the gcloud CLI, open a terminal window on your computer.) [Go to Cloud Shell](https://console.cloud.google.com/welcome?cloudshell=true) 2. Get a list of the zones in which GPUs are available: ``` gcloud compute accelerator-types list ``` Take note of the region and zone that's physically closest to you. 3. Set the zone that you want to work with: ``` gcloud config set compute/zone ZONE ``` Replace `ZONE` with the name of the [zone](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/gpus/gpu-regions-zones) you're using, such as `us-west1-b`. ## Choose a machine type NVIDIA L4 GPUs are attached to the [G2 machine type](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/vm-instance-pricing#accelerator-optimized). Virtual machines with one or more GPUs have a maximum number of vCPUs for each GPU you add to the instance. For example, each NVIDIA L4 GPU lets you have up to 32 vCPUs and up to 128 GB of memory in your instance machine type. To see the available vCPU and memory ranges for different GPU configurations, see the [GPUs list](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/gpus). The example in this tutorial consists of an 8 vCPU G2 virtual workstation, which is well under the limit of 32 vCPUs for a single NVIDIA L4 GPU. ## Create the virtual workstation > [!NOTE] > **Note:** There are some [restrictions](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/gpus#restrictions) to keep in mind when creating a virtual workstation with attached GPUs. Restrictions that apply to this tutorial have been addressed, but it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with these restrictions before you create your virtual workstation. 1. In Cloud Shell, create the Compute Engine virtual workstation instance: gcloud compute instances create VM_NAME \ --zone=ZONE \ --machine-type=MACHINE_TYPE \ --accelerator=type=ACCELERATOR,count=NUM-GPUS \ --maintenance-policy="TERMINATE" \ --image-project=windows-cloud \ --image-family=windows-2022 \ --boot-disk-size=SIZE \ --boot-disk-type=TYPE \ --network=NETWORK Replace the following: - `VM_NAME` is the name of your workstation. - `ZONE` is the zone in which to create the VM. - `MACHINE_TYPE` is the predefined or custom machine configuration. - `ACCELERATOR` is the type of GPU you want to attach, such as `nvidia-l4-vws`. - `NUM-GPUS` is the number of GPUs to attach to the VM. - `SIZE` is the size of the boot disk, in gigabytes. - `TYPE` is the type of boot disk. To get a list of available disk types, run `gcloud compute disk-types list`. - `NETWORK` is the network in which to create the VM. For example: ``` gcloud compute instances create test-workstation \ --zone=us-west1-b \ --machine-type=g2-standard-8 \ --accelerator=type=nvidia-l4-vws,count=1 \ --maintenance-policy="TERMINATE" \ --image-project=windows-cloud \ --image-family=windows-2022 \ --boot-disk-size=100 \ --boot-disk-type=pd-ssd \ --network=default ``` After the virtual workstation is created, the machine status is displayed. The output looks similar to the following: ``` NAME: test-workstation ZONE: us-west1-b MACHINE_TYPE: g2-standard-8 PREEMPTIBLE: INTERNAL_IP: 10.138.XX.XXX EXTERNAL_IP: XX.XXX.XXX.XXX STATUS: RUNNING ``` Note the virtual workstation's external IP address. You will use it later in the tutorial. You can retrieve the external IP address of your virtual workstation at any time using the [Google Cloud console](https://console.cloud.google.com/compute/instances). ## Create a Windows password You use RDP to access the Windows virtual workstation to install NVIDIA graphics drivers. To sign in with RDP, you need to create a Windows password for the user. 1. In Cloud Shell, run the following command: ``` gcloud compute reset-windows-password VM_NAME ``` Replace `VM_NAME` with the name of the VM to change the password for. 2. Review the information in the confirmation prompt: ``` This command creates an account and sets an initial password for the user [username] if the account does not already exist. If the account already exists, resetting the password can cause the LOSS OF ENCRYPTED DATA secured with the current password, including files and stored passwords. For more information, see: https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/instances/windows#reset Would you like to set or reset the password for [username] (Y/n)? ``` 3. After confirming the previous prompt, review the confirmation of new credentials, which appears as follows: ``` Resetting and retrieving password for [username] on [instance-name] Updated [https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/project-name/zones/zone/instances/instance-name]. ip_address: ip-address password: password username: username ``` 4. You can now [connect to the VM instance](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/instances/connecting-to-windows) by using the new credentials. > [!NOTE] > **Note:** You can't retrieve this auto-generated password after you close the Cloud Shell window. If necessary, you can repeat this step to generate a new Windows password. It's a good practice to [set a custom password](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/instances/windows/generating-credentials#change_your_password) after you've signed in to the virtual workstation. If you have difficulty connecting using RDP, see the [Troubleshooting RDP](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/troubleshooting/troubleshooting-rdp) page. ## Sign in to your virtual workstation After you create the virtual workstation, sign into the machine so you can configure it. 1. On your local workstation, use your RDP client to connect to your virtual workstation using its external IP address. 2. When you're prompted to enter your credentials, enter the username and password you generated earlier. 3. If you see a certificate warning, ignore it and click **Continue**. The virtual workstation desktop appears. Close the Windows Server Manager after it finishes launching. ## Install Google Chrome The next step is to install Chrome on the VM instance. 1. In your RDP session, click the **Start** button on the Windows taskbar, type `Windows PowerShell`. 2. Right-click on Windows PowerShell and select **Run as administrator**. 3. At the PowerShell prompt, enable HTTPS requests: [Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = "tls12, tls11, tls" 4. Download and run the Chrome installer: $installer = "$env:TEMP\chrome_installer.exe"; Write-Host 'Downloading Chrome.' Invoke-WebRequest ` 'https://dl.google.com/chrome/install/latest/chrome_installer.exe' ` -OutFile $installer Write-Host 'Installing Chrome.' & $installer /silent /install | Out-Default Remove-Item $installer 5. When the command has completed, close PowerShell. ## Install the NVIDIA driver NVIDIA L4, NVIDIA T4, and NVIDIA P4 GPUs work on Google Cloud only with qualified NVIDIA RTX Virtual Workstation (vWS) drivers for both compute and display workloads. You can download these drivers from a public Google Cloud storage bucket. 1. On the Windows desktop of your virtual workstation, open Windows PowerShell. 2. Get a listing of the latest drivers: ``` gcloud storage ls gs://nvidia-drivers-us-public/GRID ``` 3. Access the latest graphics drivers that are available as of August, 2025: ``` vGPU 19.0 Windows driver (580.88_grid_win10_win11_server2022_dch_64bit_international.exe) ``` You can always find the latest qualified driver under the `GRID` directory that has the highest version number; if you find a newer driver, use that one. 4. In PowerShell, download and install the driver. If you're using a version of the driver that's more recent than 580.88, change the command accordingly. gcloud storage cp ` gs://nvidia-drivers-us-public/GRID/vGPU19.0/580.88_grid_win10_win11_server2022_dch_64bit_international.exe ` $HOME/Downloads 5. Open Windows File Explorer and go to the `Downloads` directory for your user. 6. In the directory, double-click the NVIDIA driver to run the installer. Follow the prompts to install the driver in the default location: 1. If you accept the terms of the NVIDIA license, click **AGREE AND CONTINUE**. 2. Select **Express (Recommended)** as the installation type. 3. When the installation is finished, close the NVIDIA installer. 7. Verify that the driver is working. In PowerShell, run the command: nvidia-smi The output is similar to the following: ``` +---+ | NVIDIA-SMI 580.88 Driver Version: 580.88 CUDA Version: 13.0 | |---+---+---+ | GPU Name TCC/WDDM | Bus-Id Disp.A | Volatile Uncorr. ECC | | Fan Temp Perf Pwr:Usage/Cap | Memory-Usage | GPU-Util Compute M. | | | | MIG M. | |===============================+======================+======================| | 0 NVIDIA L4 WDDM | 00000000:00:03.0 Off | 0 | | N/A 44C P8 13W / 72W | 94MiB / 23034MiB | 5% Default | | | | N/A | +---+---+---+ +---+ | Processes: | | GPU GI CI PID Type Process name GPU Memory | | ID ID Usage | |=============================================================================| | 0 N/A N/A 6696 C+G ...CBS_cyewy\TextInputHost.exe N/A | +---+ ``` ## Install HP Anyware software HP Anyware software provides a graphics agent that runs on your virtual workstation, delivering the desktop to your hardware or software client. 1. On the Windows instance, open Google Chrome and go to the [PCoIP Hosts section](https://anyware.hp.com/find/product/hp-anyware) on the HP Anyware support page. 2. Download **Graphics Agent for Windows**. 3. If not already logged in, click **Log in to download**. 4. Click **Downloads and scripts**. 5. Complete the agent installation process and choose the option to run the downloaded graphics agent executable. Follow the prompts to install the graphics agent in the default location. ## Register the Anyware Graphics Agent When the installation process is complete, you're prompted for a registration code. 1. In the **License Registration** window, enter the registration code you received during the trial sign-up process. > [!NOTE] > **Note:** The registration code provided to you by HP Teradici is in the form `ABCDEFGHIJKL@0123-4567-89AB-CDEF`. 2. After you've entered the registration code, reboot the Windows instance. ## Create a firewall rule The PCoIP client communicates with your virtual workstation using several ports. You must set firewall rules that allow traffic to your virtual workstation. - In Cloud Shell (not on the virtual workstation), create a firewall rule that opens the required ports: ``` gcloud compute firewall-rules create allow-pcoip \ --action=ALLOW \ --rules=tcp:443,tcp:4172,udp:4172 \ --source-ranges=0.0.0.0/0 ``` > [!NOTE] > **Note:** This firewall rule allows traffic from anywhere on the internet to access your VM instance. Always follow [best practices for firewall rules](https://docs.cloud.google.com/firewall/docs/firewalls#best_practices_for_firewall_rules) to restrict traffic to your instance. ## Sign in to your virtual workstation using the PCoIP client 1. On your local computer, go to the **PCoIP Clients** section on the [HP Anyware support page](https://anyware.hp.com/find/product/hp-anyware), and then download, install, and launch the PCoIP Software Client application for your operating system. 2. In the **Host Address or Registration Code** field, enter the external IP address of your virtual workstation. If you want, you can enter a name for the connection. > [!NOTE] > **Note:** By default, PCoIP traffic is encrypted using AES-256. However, HP Anyware Software uses a self-signed certificate that's issued by Teradici. This might trigger a verification warning when you connect. You can remove this warning by creating and installing your own [custom security certificates](https://anyware.hp.com/components/graphics-agent-for-windows/current/documentation/administrators-guide/security-guide/security-certificates-in-anyware-agents#using_custom_security_certificates). Or, you can suppress the warning by changing the [client security mode](https://anyware.hp.com/components/software-client-for-macos/current/documentation/administrators-guide/security-guide/security-modes) for your client OS. For the purposes of this tutorial, you can ignore this warning by clicking **Connect Insecurely** in the dialog. 3. When you are connected, authenticate by entering the username and password that you created earlier for the virtual workstation. In a few seconds, your Windows desktop appears. ## Activate audio on your virtual workstation To activate audio on your virtual workstation, enable the *Teradici Virtual Audio Driver* as the default playback device. 1. On the Windows VM, click the Start button on the Windows taskbar and type `mmsys.cpl` to open the Sound control panel and initialize the Teradici Virtual Audio Driver. 2. Click **Yes**. Windows verifies that the audio driver is working. ## Test your virtual workstation After you've deployed your virtual workstation, you can test performance and interactivity using a number of tools: - Run one of the [NVIDIA GeForce Tech Demos](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/community/demos/) to test graphics performance on a Windows workstation. - Install [Unreal Engine](https://www.unrealengine.com/), [Unity Editor](https://unity3d.com/), [Blender](https://www.blender.org/), or any content creation application. - Run render benchmarking tools for popular renderers such as [V-Ray](https://www.chaos.com/vray/benchmark), [Octane](https://render.otoy.com/octanebench/), or [Maxon](https://www.maxon.net/cinebench). - Install the Teradici [Session Statistics Viewer](https://anyware.hp.com/knowledge/pcoip-session-statistics-viewer) to examine bandwidth usage, latency, and other desktop streaming metrics. - Use [Google Chrome](https://www.google.com/chrome/) to browse your favorite sites or play [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/) videos. You can also learn more about [PCoIP performance optimization](https://anyware.hp.com/products/hp-anyware/current/documentation/session-planning-guide/pcoip-performance-optimization) based on your workload. ## Clean up To avoid incurring charges to your Google Cloud account for the resources used in this tutorial, either delete the project that contains the resources, or keep the project and delete the individual resources. After you've finished the tutorial, clean up the resources you created on Google Cloud so you won't be billed for them in the future. ### Stop your virtual workstation Stopped virtual workstations incur [costs for persistent disk](https://docs.cloud.google.com/persistent-disk), but can be restarted at any time. To stop your virtual workstation, run the following command in Cloud Shell: ``` gcloud compute instances stop VM_NAME ``` ### Delete all the components 1. [Delete the virtual workstation](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/instances/stopping-or-deleting-an-instance#delete_an_instance). 2. [Delete the firewall rule](https://docs.cloud.google.com/vpc/docs/using-firewalls#deleting_firewall_rules). ### Delete the project > [!CAUTION] > **Caution** : Deleting a project has the following effects: > > - **Everything in the project is deleted.** If you used an existing project for the tasks in this document, when you delete it, you also delete any other work you've done in the project. > - **Custom project IDs are lost.** When you created this project, you might have created a custom project ID that you want to use in the future. To preserve the URLs that use the project ID, such as an `appspot.com` URL, delete selected resources inside the project instead of deleting the whole project. 1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the **Manage resources** page. [Go to Manage resources](https://console.cloud.google.com/iam-admin/projects) 2. In the project list, select the project that you want to delete, and then click **Delete**. 3. In the dialog, type the project ID, and then click **Shut down** to delete the project.
## What's next - Learn how to [create a virtual GPU-accelerated Linux workstation](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/virtual-workstation/linux-gpu). - Learn more about [NVIDIA RTX Virtual Workstations](https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/gpus#gpu-virtual-workstations) on Google Cloud. - Learn more about [NVIDIA RTX Virtual Workstation technology](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/design-visualization/virtual-workstation/). - Learn more about [HP Anyware software](https://www.hp.com/us-en/services/workforce-solutions/workforce-computing/digital-workspaces.html). - Learn more about how [PCoIP](https://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=4AA8-3293ENW) differs from other remote desktop software.