Lab - Create and configure host pools and session hosts (Microsoft Entra DS)

Student lab manual

Lab dependencies

  • An Azure subscription
  • A Microsoft account or a Microsoft Entra account with the Global Administrator role in the Microsoft Entra tenant associated with the Azure subscription and with the Owner or Contributor role in the Azure subscription
  • The completed lab Prepare for deployment of Azure Virtual Desktop (Microsoft Entra DS)

Estimated Time

60 minutes

Lab scenario

You need to create and configure host pools and session hosts in an Azure Active Directory Domain Services (Microsoft Entra DS) environment.

Objectives

After completing this lab, you will be able to:

  • Configure an Azure Virtual Desktop environment in a Microsoft Entra DS domain.
  • Validate Azure Virtual Desktop environment in a Microsoft Entra DS domain.

Lab files

  • None

Instructions

Exercise 1: Configure an Azure Virtual Desktop environment

The main tasks for this exercise are as follows:

  1. Prepare AD DS domain and the Azure subscription for deployment of an Azure Virtual Desktop host pool
  2. Deploy an Azure Virtual Desktop host pool
  3. Configure Azure Virtual Desktop application groups
  4. Configure Azure Virtual Desktop workspaces

Task 1: Prepare AD DS domain and the Azure subscription for deployment of an Azure Virtual Desktop host pool

  1. From your lab computer, start a web browser, navigate to the Azure portal, and sign in by providing credentials of a user account with the Owner role in the subscription you will be using in this lab.
  2. From your lab computer, in the Azure portal, search for and select Virtual machines and, from the Virtual machines blade, select the az140-cl-vm11a entry. This will open the az140-cl-vm11a blade.
  3. On the az140-cl-vm11a blade, select Connect, in the drop-down menu, select Bastion, on the Bastion tab of the az140-cl-vm11a | Connect blade, select Use Bastion.

  4. When prompted, provde the following credentials and select Connect:

    Setting Value
    User Name aadadmin1@adatum.com
    Password Password defined in the previous lab

  5. Within the Bastion to the az140-cl-vm11a Azure VM, start Microsoft Edge, navigate to the Azure portal, and sign in by providing user principal name of the aadadmin1 user account with the password you set when creating this account.

    Note: You can identify the user principal name (UPN) attribute of the aadadmin1 account by reviewing its properties dialog box from the Active Directory Users and Computers console or by switching back to your lab computer and reviewing its properties from the Microsoft Entra tenant blade in the Azure portal.

  6. Within the Bastion session to az140-cl-vm11a, in the Microsoft Edge displaying the Azure portal, open a PowerShell session in the Cloud Shell and run the following register the Microsoft.DesktopVirtualization resource provider:

    Register-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.DesktopVirtualization
  7. Within the Bastion session to az140-cl-vm11a, in the Microsoft Edge displaying the Azure portal, search for and select Virtual networks and, from the Virtual networks blade, select the az140-aadds-vnet11a entry.
  8. On the az140-aadds-vnet11a blade, select Subnets, on the Subnets blade, select + Subnet, on the Add subnet blade, in the Name text box, type hp1-Subnet, leave all other settings with their default values, and select Save.

Task 2: Deploy an Azure Virtual Desktop host pool

  1. Within the Bastion session to az140-cl-vm11a, in the Microsoft Edge window displaying the Azure portal, search for and select Azure Virtual Desktop, on the Azure Virtual Desktop blade, in the vertical menu on the left side, in the Manage section, select Host pools and, on the Azure Virtual Desktop | Host pools blade, select + Create.

  2. On the Basics tab of the Create a host pool blade, specify the following settings and select Next: Virtual Machines >:

    Setting Value
    Subscription the name of the Azure subscription you are using in this lab
    Resource group the name of a new resource group az140-21a-RG
    Host pool name az140-21a-hp1
    Location the name of the Azure region into which you deployed the Microsoft Entra DS instance earlier in this lab
    Validation environment No
    Preferred app group type Desktop
    Host pool type Pooled
    Max session limit 12
    Load balancing algorithm Breadth-first

    Note: If a user has both RemoteApp and Desktop apps published, the preferred app group type determines which of them will appear in their feed.

  3. On the Virtual machines tab of the Create a host pool blade, specify the following settings (leave others with their defaults) and select Next: Workspace > (replace the ** placeholder with the name of the Microsoft Entra tenant associated with the subscription into which you deployed the Microsoft Entra DS instance and replace the `` placeholder with the password you set when creating the aadadmin1 account):

    Note: Ensure that you remember the password you used. You will need it later in this and subsequent labs.:

    Setting Value
    Add virtual machines Yes
    Resource group Defaulted to same as host pool
    Name prefix az140-21-p1
    Virtual machine location the name of the Azure region into which you deployed resources in the first exercise of this lab
    Availability options No infrastructure redundancy required
    Security type Trusted launch virtual machines
    Image Windows 11 Enterprise multi-session + Microsoft 365 Apps, version 22H2
    Virtual machine size Standard DC2s_v3
    Number of VMs 2
    OS disk type Standard SSD
    Virtual network az140-aadds-vnet11a
    Subnet hp1-Subnet (10.10.1.0/24)
    Network security group Basic
    Public inbound ports No
    Select which directory you would like to join Active Directory
    AD domain join UPN aadadmin1@adatum.com
    Password Use password for aadadmin1
    Specify domain or unit Yes
    Domain to join adatum.com
    Organizational Unit path OU=AADDC Computers,DC=adatum,DC=com
    Virtual Machine Administrator account username student
    Virtual Machine Administrator account password Pa55w.rd1234

  4. On the Workspace tab of the Create a host pool blade, specify the following settings and select Review + create:

    Setting Value
    Register desktop app group No

  5. On the Review + create tab of the Create a host pool blade, select Create.

    Note: Wait for the deployment to complete. This should take about 15 minutes.

Task 3: Configure Azure Virtual Desktop application groups

  1. Within the Bastion session to az140-cl-vm11a, in the Azure portal, search for and select Azure Virtual Desktop and, on the Azure Virtual Desktop blade, select Application groups.
  2. On the Azure Virtual Desktop | Application groups blade, select the auto-generated az140-21a-hp1-DAG desktop application group.
  3. On the az140-21a-hp1-DAG blade, in the vertical menu on the left side, in the Manage section, select Assignments.
  4. On the az140-21a-hp1-DAG | Assignments blade, select + Add.
  5. On the Select Microsoft Entra users or user groups blade, select az140-wvd-apooled and click Select.
  6. Navigate back to the Azure Virtual Desktop | Application groups blade, and select + Create.

  7. On the Basics tab of the Create an application group blade, specify the following settings and select Next: Applications >:

    Setting Value
    Subscription the name of the Azure subscription you are using in this lab
    Resource group az140-21a-RG
    Host pool az140-21a-hp1
    Application group type RemoteApp
    Application group name az140-21a-hp1-Office365-RAG
  8. On the Applications tab of the Create an application group blade, select + Add applications.

  9. On the Add application blade, specify the following settings and select Save:

    Setting Value
    Application source Start menu
    Application Word
    Description Microsoft Word
    Require command line No
  10. Back on the Applications tab of the Create an application group blade, select + Add applications.

  11. On the Add application blade, specify the following settings and select Save:

    Setting Value
    Application source Start menu
    Application Excel
    Description Microsoft Excel
    Require command line No
  12. Back on the Applications tab of the Create an application group blade, select + Add applications.

  13. On the Add application blade, specify the following settings and select Save:

    Setting Value
    Application source Start menu
    Application PowerPoint
    Description Microsoft PowerPoint
    Require command line No
  14. Back on the Applications tab of the Create an application group blade, select Next: Assignments >.
  15. On the Assignments tab of the Create an application group blade, select + Add Microsoft Entra users or user groups.
  16. On the Select Microsoft Entra users or user groups blade, select az140-wvd-aremote-app and click Select.
  17. Back on the Assignments tab of the Create an application group blade, select Next: Workspace >.

  18. On the Workspace tab of the Create a workspace blade, specify the following setting and select Review + create:

    Setting Value
    Register application group No

  19. On the Review + create tab of the Create an application group blade, select Create.

    Note: Now you will create an application group based on file path as the application source

  20. Within the Bastion session to az140-cl-vm11a, in the web browser window displaying the Azure portal, search for and select Azure Virtual Desktop and, on the Azure Virtual Desktop blade, select Application groups.
  21. On the Azure Virtual Desktop | Application groups blade, select + Create.

  22. On the Basics tab of the Create an application group blade, specify the following settings and select Next: Applications >:

    Setting Value
    Subscription the name of the Azure subscription you are using in this lab
    Resource group az140-21a-RG
    Host pool az140-21a-hp1
    Application group type RemoteApp
    Application group name az140-21a-hp1-Utilities-RAG
  23. On the Applications tab of the Create an application group blade, select + Add applications.

  24. On the Add application blade, specify the following settings and select Save:

    Setting Value
    Application source File path
    Application path C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe
    Application name Command Prompt
    Display name Command Prompt
    Icon path C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe
    Icon index 0
    Description Windows Command Prompt
    Require command line No
  25. Back on the Applications tab of the Create an application group blade, select Next: Assignments >.
  26. On the Assignments tab of the Create an application group blade, select + Add Microsoft Entra users or user groups.
  27. On the Select Microsoft Entra users or user groups blade, select az140-wvd-aremote-app and az140-wvd-aadmins and click Select.
  28. Back on the Assignments tab of the Create an application group blade, select Next: Workspace >.

  29. On the Workspace tab of the Create a workspace blade, specify the following setting and select Review + create:

    Setting Value
    Register application group No
  30. On the Review + create tab of the Create an application group blade, select Create.

Task 4: Configure Azure Virtual Desktop workspaces

  1. Within the Bastion session to az140-cl-vm11a, in the Microsoft Edge window displaying the Azure portal, search for and select Azure Virtual Desktop and, on the Azure Virtual Desktop blade, select Workspaces.
  2. On the Azure Virtual Desktop | Workspaces blade, select + Create.

  3. On the Basics tab of the Create a workspace blade, specify the following settings and select Next: Application groups >:

    Setting Value  
    Subscription the name of the Azure subscription you are using in this lab  
    Resource group az140-21a-RG  
    Workspace name az140-21a-ws1  
    Friendly name az140-21a-ws1  
    Location the name of the Azure region into which you deployed resources in this lab  

  4. On the Application groups tab of the Create a workspace blade, specify the following settings:

    Setting Value
    Register application groups Yes
  5. On the Workspace tab of the Create a workspace blade, select + Register application groups.
  6. On the Add application groups blade, select the plus sign next to the az140-21a-hp1-DAG, az140-21a-hp1-Office365-RAG, and az140-21a-hp1-Utilities-RAG entries and click Select.
  7. Back on the Application groups tab of the Create a workspace blade, select Review + create.
  8. On the Review + create tab of the Create a workspace blade, select Create.

Exercise 2: Validate Azure Virtual Desktop environment

The main tasks for this exercise are as follows:

  1. Install Microsoft Remote Desktop client (MSRDC) on a Windows 10 computer
  2. Subscribe to a Azure Virtual Desktop workspace
  3. Test Azure Virtual Desktop apps

Task 1: Install Microsoft Remote Desktop client (MSRDC) on a Windows 10 computer

  1. Within the Bastion session to az140-cl-vm11a, start Microsoft Edge and navigate to Windows Desktop client download page and, when prompted, run its installation by following prompts. Select the option Install for all users on this machine.
  2. Once the installation completes, start the Remote Desktop client.

Task 2: Subscribe to a Azure Virtual Desktop workspace

  1. In the Remote Desktop client window, select Subscribe and, when prompted, sign in with the aaduser1 credentials (using its userPrincipalName attribute as the user name and the password you set when creating this account).

    Note: Alternatively, in the Remote Desktop client window, select Subscribe with URL, in the Subscribe to a Workspace pane, in the Email or Workspace URL, type https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com/api/arm/feeddiscovery, select Next, and, once prompted, sign in with the aaduser1 credentials (using its userPrincipalName attribute as the user name and Pa55w.rd1234 as its password).

    Note: The user principal name of aaduser1 should be in the format aaduser1@**, where the ** placeholder matches the name of the Microsoft Entra tenant associated with the subscription into which you deployed the Microsoft Entra DS instance.

  2. In the Stay signed in to all your apps window, clear the checkbox Allow my organization to manage my device checkbox and select No, sign in to this app only.

  3. Verify that the Remote Desktop page displays the SessionDesktop included in the auto-generated az140-21-hp1-DAG desktop application group published to the workspace and associated with the user account aduser1 via its group membership.

    Note: This is expected, because the Preferred app group type of the host pool is currently set to Desktop.

Task 3: Test Azure Virtual Desktop apps

  1. Within the Bastion session to az140-cl-vm11a, in the Remote Desktop client window, in the list of applications, double-click SessionDesktop and verify that it launches a Remote Desktop session.

    Note: Initially, it might take a few minutes for the application to start, but subsequently, the application startup should be much faster.

    Note: If you are presented with the Welcome to Microsoft Teams sign-in prompt, close it.

  2. Within the Session Desktop session, right-click Start, select Run, in the Open text box of the Run dialog box, type cmd and select OK.
  3. Within the Session Desktop session, at the Command Prompt, type hostname and press the Enter key to display the name of the computer on which the Remote Desktop session is running.
  4. Verify that the displayed name is either az140-21-p1-0, az140-21-p1-1 or az140-21-p1-2.

  5. At the Command Prompt, type logoff and press the Enter key to log off from the Session Desktop.

    Note: Next, you will modify the Preferred app group type by setting it to RemoteApp.

  6. Within the Bastion session to az140-cl-vm11a, in the web browser window displaying the Azure portal, search for and select Azure Virtual Desktop and, on the Azure Virtual Desktop blade, in the vertical menu bar, in the Manage section, select Host pools.
  7. On the Azure Virtual Desktop | Host pools blade, in the list of host pools, select az140-21-hp1.
  8. On the az140-21-hp1 blade, in the in the vertical menu bar, in the Settings section, select Properties, in the Preferred app group type, select Remote App, and then select Save.
  9. Within the Bastion session to az140-cl-vm11, in the Remote Desktop client window, select the ellipsis symbol in the upper right corner and, in the drop-down menu, select Refresh.

  10. Verify that the Remote Desktop page displays individual apps included in the two application groups you created and published to the workspace, which are also associated with the user account aduser1 via its group membership.

    Note: This is expected, because the Preferred app group type of the host pool is now set to RemoteApp.

  11. Within the Bastion session to az140-cl-vm11a, in the Remote Desktop client window, in the list of applications, double-click Command Prompt and verify that it launches a Command Prompt window. When prompted to authenticate, type the password you set when creating the aduser1 user account, select the checkbox Remember me, and select OK.
  12. At the Command Prompt, type logoff and press the Enter key to log off from the current Remote App session.

Exercise 3: Stop and deallocate Azure VMs provisioned and used in the lab

The main tasks for this exercise are as follows:

  1. Stop and deallocate Azure VMs provisioned and used in the lab

Note: In this exercise, you will deallocate the Azure VMs provisioned and used in this lab to minimize the corresponding compute charges

Task 1: Deallocate Azure VMs provisioned and used in the lab

  1. Switch to the lab computer and, in the web browser window displaying the Azure portal, open the PowerShell shell session within the Cloud Shell pane.

  2. From the PowerShell session in the Cloud Shell pane, run the following to list all Azure VMs created and used in this lab:

    Get-AzVM -ResourceGroup 'az140-21a-RG'

  3. From the PowerShell session in the Cloud Shell pane, run the following to stop and deallocate all Azure VMs you created and used in this lab:

    Get-AzVM -ResourceGroup 'az140-21a-RG' | Stop-AzVM -NoWait -Force

    Note: The command executes asynchronously (as determined by the -NoWait parameter), so while you will be able to run another PowerShell command immediately afterwards within the same PowerShell session, it will take a few minutes before the Azure VMs are actually stopped and deallocated.