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You're reading from  Mastering Azure Virtual Desktop

Product typeBook
Published inMar 2022
PublisherPackt
ISBN-139781801075022
Edition1st Edition
Tools
AzureAzure
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Cloud Computing
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Author (1)
Ryan Mangan
Ryan Mangan
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Ryan Mangan

Ryan Mangan is an end-user computing specialist. He is a speaker, presenter and author who has helped customers and technical communities with end-user computing solutions, ranging from small to global 30,000-user enterprise deployments in various fields. Ryan is the owner and author of ryanmangansitblog, which has over 3 million + visitors and over 200+ articles. Some of Ryan’s community and technical awards include: Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP), VMware vExpert 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021, VMware vExpert EUC 2021, VMware vExpert Desktop Hypervisor 2021, Very Important Parallels professional program (VIPP) 2019, 20 & 21, LoginVSI Technology Advocate 19, 20.
Read more about Ryan Mangan

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Chapter 7: Configure Azure Virtual Desktop Host Pools

In this chapter, we look at configuring Azure Virtual desktop host pools. This includes license configuration for server-based multi-session deployments, configuring host pool settings, using PowerShell to customize Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) properties, configuring host pool load balancing methods, personal desktop assignment, and security for host pools and session hosts.

We start this chapter by looking at deploying Windows Server licensing for those who want to move existing Server session hosts from on-premises to Azure Virtual Desktop. This may not be a common use case for Azure Virtual Desktop deployments, however, it's important that we cover this concept for those who require the use of Server session hosts within Azure Virtual Desktop.

We will cover the following topics in this chapter:

  • Windows Server session host licensing
  • Configuring host pool settings
  • Configuring Azure Virtual Desktop load...

Windows Server session host licensing

This section looks at installing the Remote Desktop (RD) licensing role and activating the licensing server to use server operating systems in Azure Virtual Desktop. To use a server operating system in Azure Virtual Desktop, you will need to deploy a server with the RD licensing role installed and configured on the Azure virtual network. The following steps summarize the installation and configuration of the RD licensing rol:.

  1. Sign in to the server with an administrator account.
  2. In the Server Manager console, click Roles Summary, and then click Add Roles. Click Next on the first page of the roles wizard.
  3. Select Remote Desktop Services, click Next, and then Next on the Remote Desktop Services page.
  4. Select Remote Desktop Licensing, and then click Next:
Figure 7.1 – The Add Roles and Features Wizard for the server OS

Figure 7.1 – The Add Roles and Features Wizard for the server OS

  1. To configure the domain, select Configure a discovery scope for this...

Configuring host pool settings

This section looks at customizing a host pool, including RD properties, load balancing methods, and configuring personal host pool assignment types.

Customizing RDP properties

Azure Virtual Desktop allows you to configure and customize host pool settings using the RDP properties. This allows you to configure things such as audio redirection, video playback, and drive redirections.

The supported RDP settings are split into five different areas:

  • Connection information
  • Session behavior
  • Device redirection
  • Display settings
  • RemoteApp

These different categories contain a wide range of settings you can apply to your host pool configuration.

You can find a complete list of settings that can be applied or changed here: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows-server/remote/remote-desktop-services/clients/rdp-files.

You can change the RDP settings by navigating to the host pool within the Azure portal and selecting RDP Properties...

Summary

In this chapter, we built on the previous chapter, where we deployed a session host.

In addition, this chapter looked at configuring session hosts within a host pool. We learned how to deploy and configure a Windows Server session host licensing server to support the use of the Windows Server operating system within Azure Virtual Desktop. We then looked at the configuration of host pool settings, RDP properties, load balancing methods, and assigning users to host pools. We then finished off the chapter by learning how to apply operating system and application updates to a session host as well as applying security compliance settings to session hosts.

In the next chapter, we will take a look at creating and managing session host images.

Questions

  1. When using server-based operating systems for Azure Virtual Desktop, what resource do you require?
  2. What is the purpose of MaxSessionLimit within a host pool?
  3. What considerations are there to be taken into account when configuring antivirus for Azure Virtual Desktop?
  4. Which group policy would you set for controlling idle time out session settings within Azure Virtual Desktop?

Answers

  1. When using server-based operating systems, you will need an additional server to host the RD client access licenses that the server license will require.
  2. MaxSessionLimit is used to limit the number of user sessions on a single session host.
  3. Ensure that you have set the exclusion rules for both FSLogix profiles and MSIX app attach on the appropriate file shares/storage.
  4. Set time limit for active but idle Remote Desktop Services sessions.
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Mastering Azure Virtual Desktop
Published in: Mar 2022Publisher: PacktISBN-13: 9781801075022
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Author (1)

author image
Ryan Mangan

Ryan Mangan is an end-user computing specialist. He is a speaker, presenter and author who has helped customers and technical communities with end-user computing solutions, ranging from small to global 30,000-user enterprise deployments in various fields. Ryan is the owner and author of ryanmangansitblog, which has over 3 million + visitors and over 200+ articles. Some of Ryan’s community and technical awards include: Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP), VMware vExpert 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021, VMware vExpert EUC 2021, VMware vExpert Desktop Hypervisor 2021, Very Important Parallels professional program (VIPP) 2019, 20 & 21, LoginVSI Technology Advocate 19, 20.
Read more about Ryan Mangan

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