Key factors in Windows Virtual Desktop?

What is Windows Virtual Desktop?

Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is a new technology fully Cloud-based comprehensive desktop and app virtualization service provided by Microsoft and powered by Azure. Traditionally we used on-premises Windows Server Remote Desktop Services to implement application and desktop virtualization. RDS solution architecture not possible to implement very easily. RDS solution connects many sub-services to facilitate Desktop or Application virtualization. Microsoft used their key cloud concept with Azure to deliver Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) experience to the global clients.

Different between Windows Virtual Desktop and Remote Desktop Service

If we required to setup application virtualization without migrating any services to the cloud as the on-premises solution we used Remote Desktop Services in Windows 2019, Windows 2016 operating systems. This is a Server Feature of the Server Operating System. However, Solution is the fully cloud-enabled solution, and its executed on Azure global cloud datacenters.

What are the key capabilities

1. We can enable desktop or application virtualization in azure cloud.
2. User session workload can increase by adding Host pools.
3. Reduce costs with pooled, multi-session resources.
4. Virtual Desktop concept provide individual personal desktop feeling to the user.

Requirement from Customer ?

1. Global Admin to the Azure
2. Licenses
3. Azure Subscription
4. Local Active Directory or Azure Domain Services

Key components in environment

Host Pool

A host pool is a collection of Azure virtual machines that register to Windows Virtual Desktop as session hosts when you run the Windows Virtual Desktop agent. All session host virtual machines in a host pool should be sourced from the same image for a consistent user experience.

App Groups

An app group is a logical grouping of applications installed on session hosts in the host pool. There are two types of App groups in Azure

• RemoteApp, where users access the RemoteApps you individually select and publish to the app group
• Desktop, where users access the full desktop

Workspaces

Logical group application in solution is called as workspace. Each Windows Virtual Desktop application group must be associated with a workspace for users to see the remote apps and desktops published to them

Windows Virtual Desktop network connectivity

Microsoft manages RD Webaccess, RD Broker, RD Gateway, RD Licensing RD Monitoring and RD Load balancing services and customer required to manage Session Host in solution.

How Secured Windows Virtual
Desktop ?

Cloud Solution providers need to pay more attention on secured network communication. Transport Layer Security TLS 1.2 is used for all connections initiated from the clients and session hosts to the Windows Virtual Desktop infrastructure components.

Windows Virtual Desktop RDP Shortpath (preview)

RDP shortpath used UDP based transport between Remote Desktop Client and Session host. This is still in the preview stage from Azure. RDP uses this transport to deliver Remote Desktop and RemoteApp while offering better reliability and consistent latency. RDP Shortpath uses a TLS connection between the client and the session host using the session host’s certificates.

Which Operating Systems Azure Offred for this solution?

Azure provide latest images flavors for Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session, is a new Remote Desktop Session Host that allows multiple concurrent interactive sessions. Previously, only Windows Server could do this. This capability gives users a familiar Windows 10 experience while IT can benefit from the cost advantages of multi-session and use existing per-user Windows licensing instead of RDS Client Access Licenses (CALs). However We can use our own software installed Image for Session host.

How many concurrent users support in Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session?

This is totally depending on the system’s hardware resources (vCPU, memory, disk, and vGPU) specification of the Session Host. Before implementation, we required more forces on systems performance understanding. To learn more, see Windows Virtual Desktop pricing.

Windows virtual Desktop sizing guidelines

Customer or systems administrator required to do proper scale the session host depending on user’s workload type. For VM sizing recommendations for single-session scenarios, we recommend at least two physical CPU cores per VM.

What is Workload type in Windows Virtual Desktop configuration?

• Light – Users doing basic data entry tasks.
• Medium – Consultants and market researchers.
• Heavy – Software engineers, content creators.
• Power – Graphic designers, 3D model makers, machine learning researchers.

Which Azure Datacenters supports Windows Virtual Desktop?

Solution is currently available for all geographical locations. Customers can select which location used for store user data when they create the host pool. Learn more about Azure geographies at the Azure datacenter map.

At the moment, Azure only support storing metadata in the United States (US) Azure geography. Global metadata information like tenant names, host pool names, app group names, and user principal names in a datacenter.

What is FSLogix profile containers and Azure Files?

FSLogix used in the environment to support user profile management in a central place. FSLogix is designed to roam profiles in remote computing environments, such as Windows Virtual Desktop. It stores a complete user profile in a single container. The user profile is immediately available and appears in the system exactly like a native user profile.

WVD in Action – A Case Study of this Remote Desktop Solution

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation in 2020, most of the users work as remote users. BYOD concept is playing a major role in these types of pandemic situation. Most of the time customers selected VPN Solution and Remote Desktop Solution to cater build connection between onPrem and Cloud via IPSec VPN tunnel.

I have recently deployed Azure Windows Virtual Desktop Solution to Transport industry customer located in Canada. His company consist of 25 staff members. There main application Transport Dispatch application and QuickBooks as Financially software. Authentication configured with Azure Active Directory Domain Service and I have done some Gro Location filtering based on Customer requirement.

The solution implemented with Microsoft Office 365 and Windows 10 Enterprise multisession Image with installed customer software setups. Windows User Profiles centrally manage in file storage hosted in Azure.

Design Solution Diagram

What is the best way of Solution implementation?

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