Share via

Test Lab Guide: Remote Desktop Services Session Virtualization Quick Start

  • Article

 

Applies To: Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012

Introduction

In Windows Server 2012 the Remote Desktop Services Session Virtualization standard deployment is a scenario-based installation within Server Manager that allows you to install, configure, and manage RD Session Host servers from a central location. With the Session Virtualization standard deployment scenario, you’re presented with two deployment types:

  • Standard Deployment: Allows you to flexibly deploy the various Remote Desktop Services role services to different servers.

  • Quick Start: Installs all the necessary Remote Desktop Services’ role services on one computer to let you install and configure in a test environment. . To use the standard deployment instead of the Quick Start, see: Test Lab Guide: Remote Desktop Services Session Virtualization Standard Deployment.

Session Virtualization is a scenario-based installation within Server Manager that allows you to install, configure, and manage RD Session Host servers from a central location.

This test lab walks you through the process of creating a Session Virtualization Quick Start by doing the following:

  • Installs the RD Session Host, RD Connection Broker, and RD Web Access role services on a single computer.

  • Creates a session collection.

  • Publishes a session-based desktop for each RD Session Host server in the collection.

  • Publishes applications as RemoteApp programs.

In this guide

This topic contains instructions for setting up a test lab based on the Test Lab Guide: Base Configuration and deploying Remote Desktop Services Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment using two server computers and one client computers. The resulting Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment test lab demonstrates how to successfully deploy a Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment.

Important

The following instructions are for configuring a Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment test lab using the minimum number of computers. Individual computers are needed to separate the services provided on the network and to clearly show the desired functionality. This configuration is neither designed to reflect best practices nor does it reflect a desired or recommended configuration for a production network. The configuration, including IP addresses and all other configuration parameters, is designed only to work on a separate test lab network.

Test lab overview

In this test lab, Remote Desktop Services Session Virtualization 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 APP1 that will be configured as the Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment server.

  • One roaming member client computer running Windows 8 named CLIENT1 that is configured to the Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment.

The Remote Desktop Services Session Virtualization test lab consists of one subnet that simulates an intranet named Corpnet (10.0.0.0/24).

Computers on each subnet connect using a Hyper-V virtual switch. See the following figure.

Hardware and software requirements

The following are required components of the test lab:

  • The product disc or files for Windows Server 2012.

  • The product disc or files for Windows 8.

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

Steps for configuring the test lab

There are 4 steps to follow when setting up Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment test lab based on the Base Configuration Test Lab Guide.

Note

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

  • Step 1: Complete the Base Configuration Test Lab - The Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment test lab requires the Base Configuration test lab as its starting point.

  • Step 2: Configure APP1. APP1 is a Windows Server 2012 computer that will host the Session Virtualization Quick Start.

  • Step 3: Test Remote Desktop Services Connectivity. CLIENT1 is a Windows 8 computer that is used to test that you can successfully connect to the Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment session collection.

  • Step 4: Snapshot the configuration. At the completion of the lab, snapshot the configuration so that you can later return to a working Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment Test Lab.

Step 1: Complete the Base Configuration Test Lab

This Test Lab Guide uses the Base Configuration network as a starting place. Please complete the steps in Test Lab Guide: Base Configuration before proceeding with the remainder of the steps in this guide. If you have already completed the steps in the Base Configuration Test Lab Guide and saved a disk image or a virtual machine snapshot of the Base Configuration, then you can restore the Base Configuration and proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Configure APP1

APP1 configuration for the Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment test lab consists of the following procedures:

  • Deploy Session Virtualization Quick Start

The following sections explain these procedures in detail.

Deploy the Session Virtualization Quick Start

The Session Virtualization Quick Start is deployed by using Server Manager.

To deploy the Session Virtualization Quick Start

  1. Log on to the APP1 server as the CORP\User1 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 QUICK START section, click Add roles and features.

  4. On the Before You Begin page of the Add Roles and Features Wizard, click Next.

  5. On the Select Installation Type page, click Remote Desktop Services installation, and then click Next.

  6. On the Select deployment type page, click Quick Start, and then click Next.

  7. On the Select deployment scenario page, click Session-based desktop deployment, and then click Next.

  8. On the Server Selection page, accept the default selections, and then click Next.

  9. On the Confirm selections page, select the Restart the destination server automatically if required check box, and then click Deploy.

  10. Click Close.

    Note

    The computer will restart after the RD Session Host role service is installed. After the restart is complete and you log on as CORP\User1, the Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment will finish the installation.

Step 3: Test Remote Desktop Service Connectivity

Verify that the Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment deployed successfully by connecting to the session collection that was created during installation.

Note

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

Use the following procedures to connect to the Session Collection:

  • Connect to the virtual desktop collection.

The following sections explain these procedures in detail.

Connect to the Session Collection

To test that the Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment deployed successfully, you log on to the RD Web Access server on the APP1 computer and connect to the session collection.

To connect to the session collection

  1. Log on to the CLIENT1 computer as the CORP\User1 user account.

  2. Open Internet Explorer. Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Internet Explorer.

  3. In the Internet Explorer address bar, type https://app1.corp.contoso.com/RDWeb and then press Enter.

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

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

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

  7. Click No, and then click Allow.

Step 4: Snapshot the Configuration

This completes the Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment test lab. To save this configuration so that you can quickly return to a working Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment configuration from which you can test other 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 perform a graceful shutdown.

  2. If your lab is based on virtual machines, save a snapshot of each virtual machine and name the snapshots Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment. If your lab uses physical computers, create disk images to save the Session Virtualization Quick Start deployment test lab configuration.

Additional Resources