# Research and Engineering Studio 2026.03 expands desktop administration > The RES update adds filesystem and session controls, giving research platform operators more direct ways to recover and configure virtual desktops. Canonical URL: https://www.devobs.io/news/news-aws-res-2026-03/ By: Finn Larson Published: 2026-09-06T11:58:54.633Z Updated: 2026-09-06T11:58:54.633Z Event date: 2026-03-26 Section: Cloud AWS released Research and Engineering Studio 2026.03 on March 26, adding administrative controls for research desktops and their storage. The [announcement](https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2026/03/res-2026-03-is-now-available/) covers multiple individual FSx for ONTAP volumes, configurable DCV token expiration, and recovery actions for virtual desktop sessions. ## Less ambiguity at the support desk Administrators can restart desktops in an error state from the Sessions page, while users can restore a session schedule to the system default. The release also allows administrators to add a small set of resource links to the login page. These are operational changes rather than a new research execution model. Their value depends on whether the institution's support workflow makes those controls discoverable and gives staff the right context to use them. Our analysis: a restart button should have an accompanying incident procedure. Before resetting a failed desktop, an operator should know whether diagnostic information needs to be preserved and whether the user has unsaved work or a long-running process. ## Revisit session and storage defaults Test the update with a representative researcher account, including an expired session file and a desktop that cannot start normally. Document what the user sees and when escalation is necessary. For storage, map each added volume to an owner, intended audience, and support contact. Making more filesystems available should not leave researchers guessing where durable results belong. Treat configurable token duration as a policy choice. A convenient long duration and an institution's access expectations may require different defaults for different workflows. Start with the support cases the release is meant to solve, agree on those defaults, and update the runbook alongside the software deployment. ## Source references -