GCP Sole-Tenant Nodes - Windows 11 on GCP

Overview 

 The GCP Sole-Tenant Nodes with Frame deployment option allows customers to run virtual desktops and applications on dedicated physical hosts within Google Cloud Platform (GCP) . This model is required for Windows 11 workloads on GCP and is currently supported only for customers using Bring-Your-Own (BYO) Microsoft licensing . 

 This option is ideal for customers with strict regulatory, licensing, or workload-isolation needs who want to leverage Frame on GCP while retaining full hardware control. 

 By provisioning workloads on GCP Sole-Tenant Nodes, organizations gain: 

 

 Dedicated hardware isolation for improved security and compliance 

 Full control over VM placement to meet software licensing requirements 

 Predictable performance by preventing noisy-neighbor scenarios 

 

 Description 

 To run Windows 11 workloads on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) within the Dizzion Frame platform, the deployment must use GCP Sole-Tenant Nodes . This configuration ensures compliance with Microsoft licensing requirements and supports the use of customer-provided Windows 11 images . 

 Prerequisites 

 Before enabling GCP Sole-Tenant Nodes in Frame, ensure the following requirements are in place: 

 

 An existing GCP Cloud Account integrated with Frame 

 BYO Windows licensing for Windows 11 workloads 

 If using a BYO Image , a Windows 11 image must be prepared and imported according to GCP requirements or you can use a Frame-managed Image (recommended) 

 Required IAM permissions in the GCP project to support Sole-Tenant Node deployment and image operations 

 An active Dizzion Support request to enable Sole-Tenant configuration for the Frame account 

 

 Workflow 

 Step 1 – Contact Dizzion Support 

   Sole tenancy flow is applied the moment the Windows 11 image family is selected when creating an account 

 Step 2 – Choose or Prepare the Windows 11 Image 

 You can use a Frame-managed Image or prepare your own BYO Windows 11 Image . 

 If you need to create your own image, follow the official GCP guidance for Windows image creation and import: GCP Official Guide.  As a final step, install the Frame Guest Agent : Frame Agent Setup Tool (FAST),  then import the newly created master image into your GCP Cloud Account. 

 Extra guide: Please note that preparing and importing BYO image can also be done by following this guide: 

 Step 1 – Create the Windows 11 VHD • In VirtualBox, create a new VM and select Windows 11 (64-bit). • Enable UEFI boot in settings (System > Motherboard > Enable EFI). • Create the disk in VHD format. • Install Windows 11 and configure as needed. • Shut down the VM when ready. 

 Step 2 – Upload the VHD to Cloud Storage • Create or choose a GCS bucket (e.g. image-builder-raw-images ). • Upload the VHD: gsutil cp "C:\Path\to\Windows11.vhd" gs://image-builder-raw-images/ 

 Step 3 – Import the Image into GCP Run the following command to import your VHD as a custom image: gcloud compute images import windows11baseimage --source-file gs://image-builder-raw-images/Windows11.vhd 

--guest-os-features=UEFI_COMPATIBLE --byol 

 Step 3 – Add Additional IAM Permissions 

 Please make sure the following IAM roles are added for the GCP Cloud Account: 

 

 roles/compute.storageAdmin 

 roles/dns.admin 

 roles/iam.serviceAccountUser 

 roles/compute.admin 

 

  Note: For customers who added a GCP Cloud Account after November 12th,  2024 , these IAM permissions are already assigned. 

 Step 4 – Deploy Frame Account on Sole-Tenant Nodes 

 After enablement is complete, you can create Frame Accounts and deploy workloads on Sole-Tenant Nodes using your Windows 11 image. 

 Step 5 – Validate Deployment 

 Verify that virtual machines launch successfully on dedicated Sole-Tenant Nodes , and confirm that licensing requirements and expected performance characteristics are met. 

 Example from GCP Console: 

 Cost Considerations 

 GCP Sole-Tenant Nodes generally have significantly higher costs than standard shared compute instances. 

 Customers should: 

 

 Work with their GCP Account Team to review pricing 

 Consider Committed Use or Sustained Use agreements 

 Evaluate costs before deployment 

 

  Important: Dizzion does not control GCP pricing and strongly recommends evaluating cost implications before enabling this feature.