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Test Lab Guide: Managed Pooled Virtual Desktop Collections

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Applies To: Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012

In Remote Desktop Services, there are two types of virtual desktop collections available: personal and pooled. You have the option to let Remote Desktop Services automatically manage pooled virtual desktops in a collection, or you can manually manage them. This topic addresses automatically managed pooled virtual desktop collections.

A managed pooled virtual desktop collection offers the following capabilities:

  • Automatically create pooled virtual desktops based on a virtual desktop template.

  • Automatically install security updates and applications based on a virtual desktop template.

  • Live migration with local caching.

  • User profile disk support. A user profile disk stores user profile information in a separate virtual hard disk so that user profile settings are persistent across pooled virtual desktops.

This test lab walks you through the process of creating a managed pooled virtual desktop collection, which completes the following tasks:

  • Creates a network share that is used to store the user profile disks.

  • Adds the virtual desktop template as a Hyper-V virtual machine on the RDVH1.

  • Creates a managed pooled virtual desktop collection by using Server Manager.

In this guide

This topic contains instructions for setting up a test lab that is based on information in Test Lab Guide: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Standard Deployment. You will deploy a managed pooled virtual desktop collection that uses four servers and one client computer. The resulting test lab represents a successfully created managed pooled virtual desktop collection.

Important

The following instructions are for configuring a managed pooled virtual desktop collection test lab that uses the minimum number of computers. Individual computers are needed to separate the services that are provided on the network and to clearly show the desired functionality. This configuration is not designed to reflect best practices or to reflect a desired or recommended configuration for a production network. The configuration, including IP addresses and all other configuration parameters, is designed to work only on a separate test lab network.

Test lab overview

In this test lab, Remote Desktop Services is deployed with:

  • One computer running Windows Server 2012 named DC1 that is configured as an intranet domain controller, Domain Name System (DNS) server, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, and an enterprise root certification authority (CA).

  • One intranet member server running Windows Server 2012 named RDVH1 that is configured as the Remote Desktop Virtualization Host (RD Virtualization Host) server.

  • One intranet member server running Windows Server 2012 named RDWA1 that is configured as the Remote Desktop Web Access (RD Web Access) server.

  • One intranet member server running Windows Server 2012 named RDCB1 that is configured as the Remote Desktop Connection Broker (RD Connection Broker) server.

  • One client computer running Windows 8 named CLIENT1 that is used to connect to the virtual desktop collection.

In addition, the managed pooled virtual desktop collection test lab includes:

One subnet (10.0.0.0/24) that simulates an intranet named Corpnet.

Computers connected to each other by using a Hyper-V virtual switch as shown in the following figure.

Hardware and software requirements

The following are required components of the test lab:

  • A network share must exist that is used to store the user profile disks. The RD Virtualization Host computer accounts must have write access to this location.

  • When creating the virtual desktop collection, you must be logged on to the computer with a user account with access to join computers to the domain. This is required so the pooled virtual desktops in the collection are added to the domain.

  • The virtual desktop template must be added as a Hyper-V virtual machine. The virtual machine must be generalized by using Sysprep and shut down.

    The product disc or files for Windows Server 2012.

  • The product disc or files for Windows 8.

  • A physical computer that meets the minimum hardware requirements for Windows Server 2012.

Steps for configuring the test lab

There are six steps to follow when you set up a managed pooled virtual desktop collection test lab based on the Test Lab Guide: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Standard Deployment.

Step 1: Complete the VDI standard deployment test lab   The managed pooled virtual desktop collection test lab requires the VDI standard deployment test lab as its starting point.

Step 2: Configure RDCB1   RDCB1 stores the user profile disks that are created for the managed pooled virtual desktop collection.

Step 3: Configure RDVH1   The virtual desktop template is added as a Hyper-V virtual machine on RDVH1.

Step 4: Create the managed pooled virtual desktop collection   The managed pooled virtual desktop collection is created by running the Create Collection Wizard in Server Manager on RDCB1.

Step 5: Test Remote Desktop Services connectivity   CLIENT1 is a computer running Windows 8, which is used to test that you can successfully connect to the virtual desktop collection.

Step 6: Take a snapshot of the configuration   At the completion of the lab, take a snapshot of the configuration so that you can later return to a working managed pooled virtual desktop collection test lab.

Note

You must be logged on as a member of the Domain Admins group or a member of the Administrators group on each computer to complete the tasks that are described in this guide. If you cannot complete a task when you are logged on with an account that is a member of the Administrators group, try performing the task when you are logged on with an account that is a member of the Domain Admins group.

Step 1: Complete the VDI standard deployment test lab

This test lab guide uses the VDI standard deployment test lab as a starting place. Complete the steps in Test Lab Guide: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Standard Deployment before you proceed with the remainder of the steps in this guide. If you have already completed the steps in the Test Lab Guide: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure standard deployment, and you saved a disk image or a virtual machine snapshot of the VDI standard deployment, you can restore the VDI standard deployment in Hyper-V Manager, and then proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Configure RDCB1

You must create a network share on a computer in the CORP domain to store the user profile disks. In this test lab, we will create the network share on the RDCB1 computer.

Use the following procedures to connect to the virtual desktop collection:

  • Create the user profile disk network share

  • Adjust permissions on the network share

To create the user profile disk network share

  1. Log on to the RDCB1 computer by using the CORP\Administrator user account.

  2. Open Windows Explorer.

  3. Click Computer, and then double-click Local Disk (C:).

  4. Click Home, click New Folder, type UPD and then press ENTER.

  5. Right-click the UPD folder, and then click Properties.

  6. Click Sharing, and then click Advanced Sharing.

  7. Select the Share this folder check box.

  8. Click Permissions, and then grant Full Control permissions to the Everyone group.

  9. Click OK twice, and then click Close.

To adjust permissions on the network share

  1. Right-click the UPD folder, and then click Properties.

  2. Click Security, and then click Edit.

  3. Click Add.

  4. Click Object Types, select the Computers check box, and then click OK.

  5. In the Enter the object names to select box, type rdvh1.corp.contoso.com, and then click OK.

    Important

    Each RD Virtualization Host computer account in your deployment must have Modify permissions on the user profile disk network share.

  6. Click RDVH1, and then select the Allow check box next to Modify.

  7. Click OK two times.

Step 3: Configure RDVH1

You must add the virtual desktop template to Hyper-V so you can assign it to the pooled virtual desktop collection.

To add the virtual desktop template

  1. Log on to the RDVH1 computer as a CORP\Administrator user account.

  2. Click Start, and then click Hyper-V Manager.

  3. Right-click RDVH1, point to New, and then click Virtual Machine.

  4. On the Before You Begin page, click Next.

  5. On the Specify Name and Location page, in the Name box, type Virtual Desktop Template, and then click Next.

  6. On the Assign Memory page, in the Startup memory box, type 1024, and then click Next.

  7. On the Configure Networking page, in the Connection box, click RDS Virtual, and then click Next.

  8. On the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page, click the Use an existing virtual hard disk option.

  9. Click Browse, navigate to the virtual hard disk that should be used as the virtual desktop template, and then click Open. Click Next.

  10. On the Summary page, click Finish.

Step 4: Create the managed pooled virtual desktop collection

Create the managed pooled virtual desktop collection so that users can connect to desktops in the collection.

To create the managed pooled virtual desktop collection

  1. Log on to the RDCB1 server as a CORP\Administrator user account.

  2. Server Manager will start automatically. If it does not automatically start, click Start, type servermanager.exe, and then click Server Manager.

  3. In the left pane, click Remote Desktop Services, and then click Collections.

  4. Click Tasks, and then click Create Virtual Desktop Collection.

  5. On the Before you begin page, click Next.

  6. On the Name the collection page, in the Name box, type Contoso Managed Pool, and then click Next.

  7. On the Specify the collection type page, click the Pooled virtual desktop collection option, ensure that the Automatically create and manage virtual desktops check box is selected, and then click Next.

  8. On the Specify the virtual desktop template page, click Virtual Desktop Template, and then click Next.

  9. On the Specify the virtual desktop settings page, click Provide unattended settings, and then click Next. In this step of the wizard, you can also choose to provide an answer file. For more information, see Walkthrough: Build a Simple Answer File on the Microsoft TechNet website.

  10. On the Specify the unattended settings page, enter the following information and retain the default settings for the options that are not specified, and then click Next.

    • In the Local Administrator account password and Confirm password boxes, type the same strong password.

    • In the Time zone box, click the time zone that is appropriate for your location.

  11. On the Specify users and collection size page, accept the default selections, and then click Next.

  12. On the Specify virtual desktop allocation page, accept the default selections, and then click Next.

  13. On the Specify virtual desktop storage page, accept the default selections, and then click Next.

  14. On the Specify user profile disks page, in the Location user profile disks box, type \\rdcb1\upd, and then click Next. Make sure that the RD Virtualization Host computer accounts have read and write access to this location.

  15. On the Confirm selections page, click Create.

    Note

    This process will take some time to complete.

Step 5: Test Remote Desktop Services connectivity

You can ensure the managed pooled virtual desktop collection was created successfully by connecting to the RD Web Access server and then connecting to the virtual desktop in the Contoso Managed Pool collection.

Note

If you plan to connect to an RD Web Access server website from a server, you must turn off Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration by using Server Manager.

To connect to the virtual desktop collection

  1. Open Internet Explorer. (To open Internet Explorer, click Start, and then click Internet Explorer.)

  2. In the Internet Explorer address bar, type https://rdwa1.corp.contoso.com/RDWeb, and then press ENTER.

  3. Click Continue to this website (not recommended).

  4. In the Domain\user name box, type CORP\Administrator.

  5. In the Password box, type the password for the CORP\Administrator user account, and then click Sign in.

  6. Click Contoso Managed Pool, and then click Connect.

Step 6: Take a snapshot of the configuration

This completes the managed pooled virtual desktop collection test lab guide. To save this configuration so that you can quickly return to a working managed pooled virtual desktop collection configuration from which you can test other Remote Desktop Services modular test lab guides (TLGs), TLG extensions, or for your own experimentation and learning, do the following:

  1. On all physical computers or virtual machines in the test lab, close all windows and then turn them off.

  2. If your lab is based on virtual machines, save a snapshot of each virtual machine and name the snapshots. If your lab uses physical computers, create disk images to save the managed pooled virtual desktop collection test lab configuration.

Additional Resources