Virtualizing Desktops and Apps with Windows Server 2012 R2 Inside Out

Byron Wright, MVP (Microsoft Exchange Server), is a consultant specializing in Windows Server, Exchange Server, and Microsoft Office 365 solutions. He teaches Management Information Systems (MIS) and networking at the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business and has coauthored Microsoft official curricula and the Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Resource Kit. Brian Svidergol, MCSE, specializes in infrastructure and cloud solutions built with Windows Server, Active Directory Domain Services, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft System Center, virtualization, and Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP). He was the MCT Ambassador at TechEd North America 2013 and authored Exam Ref 70-695 Deploying Windows Devices and Enterprise Apps.

Chapter 1   Desktop and application virtualization   1
Overview of virtualization technologies   1
User state virtualization   3
Application virtualization   4
Desktop Virtualization   6
Storage virtualization   11
Usage scenarios for desktop virtualization   12
Meeting legal and security requirements   13
Supporting desktop management tasks   14
Improving application compatibility    15
Implementing desktop as a service 16
Supporting the mobile user experience   16
Considerations for implementing virtualization   17
User experience   17
Network connectivity   18
Infrastructure 20
Licensing requirements   22
Challenges for implementing desktop and application virtualization   24
Identify virtualization technologies for business needs   25
Improve roaming experience for users   26
Improve performance of apps for mobile users   26
Provide remote access to apps and data 27
Update apps efficiently   28
Provide unique apps and improve security   28
Chapter 2   Planning and implementing user state virtualization   31
Understanding user state and user profiles   31
User profile creation   32
User profile content   34
Understanding and planning user state virtualization   35
Assess user data requirements   38
Assess user settings requirements   39
Evaluate compatibility considerations   40
Evaluate infrastructure and manageability requirements   40
Evaluate usage scenario considerations   41
Configuring user state virtualization technologies   44
Configuring roaming user profiles   44
Mandatory user profiles   52
Configuring Folder Redirection   53
Configuring Offline Files   59
Using the Primary Computer setting   66
Enabling user profile disks   70
Configuring User Experience Virtualization   70
UE-V architecture   72
Comparing user state virtualization options   75
Preparing to deploy UE-V   77
Deploying the UE-V agent   78
Managing the UE-V agent   81
Managing default settings location templates   84
Creating and managing custom settings location templates   87
Chapter 3   Configuring Client Hyper-V   95
Understanding Hyper-V   95
Client Hyper-V architecture   97
Installing Client Hyper-V   100
Hyper-V management tools   104
Managing virtual switches   108
Creating virtual machines   112
Virtual machine settings 121
Generation 2 virtual machines   124
Controlling virtual machines   125
Managing virtual machine files   130
Processing   135
Dynamic memory   137
Integration services   138
Managing virtual hard disks   141
Virtual hard disk formats   141
Fixed and dynamically expanding disks   143
Differencing disks   145
Creating virtual hard disks   147
Editing virtual hard disks   148
Storage Quality of Service   150
Managing checkpoints   151
How checkpoints are created   152
Using checkpoints   153
Considerations for using checkpoints   155
Chapter 4   Planning and implementing App-V   157
Overview of App-V   157
Benefits of App-V   157
Differences between standard and virtualized applications   159
Placing and functionality of the virtualization engine   160
Application virtualization infrastructure   161
App-V application life cycle   161
App-V technologies   177
App-V deployment models   184
Planning App-V infrastructure   187
App-V infrastructure requirements   187
App-V deployment possibilities   189
Service disruption impact   193
Functional and physical placement   194
Sizing and performance   195
High availability for App-V   197
Disaster recovery   199
Deploying App-V infrastructure   200
App-V infrastructure requirements   201
Installing management databases   201
App-V Management Server configuration   204
App-V publishing server deployment and configuration   208
App-V for Remote Desktop Services client   210
Integrating App-V with System Center Configuration Manager   211
Chapter 5   Planning and deploying App-V clients   213
Overview of App-V client configuration   213
App-V desktop client   213
How the App-V client accesses applications   215
Storage locations for App-V client data   216
Planning for App-V 5.0 shared content store   220
Methods for deploying the App-V client   224
App-V client for Remote Desktop   227
Installing and configuring the App-V client   227
Prerequisites for App-V client installation   228
Installing the client by using Configuration Manager   230
Installing the App-V for Remote Desktop Services client   247
Configuring the App-V client for stand-alone mode   250
App-V and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solution   252
App-V 5.0 and third-party production integration   252
Benefits of App-V and VDI integration   253
Building images with App-V   254
Managing App-V client properties   259
Managing virtual applications   264
Managing file type associations   265
Managing server connections   266
Using Windows PowerShell to configure the App-V client   267
Using Group Policy to manage the App-V client   270
Autoload   273
Registry settings for the App-V client   273
Chapter 6   Managing and administering Application Virtualization   277
Using the Application Virtualization Management Console   277
Managing App-V administrators   281
Registering and unregistering servers   282
Managing application packages   284
Connection groups 287
Managing management servers by using Windows PowerShell   289
Modifying and upgrading published applications   297
Update an application   297
Copy access and configuration   303
Update a connection group   304
Remove applications   305
Edit the default configuration for a package   306
Exporting the configuration   307
Assignment of applications   308
Naming conventions   309
Enabling scripting for dynamic configuration 310
App-V reporting   312
How App-V reporting works   312
Data collected by App-V reporting   314
App-V client configuration for reporting   315
Generating App-V reports   317
Chapter 7   Application sequencing   319
Overview of application sequencing   319
App-V Sequencer   319
The sequencing process   321
Items to document in a recipe   322
Portions of a sequenced application   324
Planning for application sequencing   326
Sequencer configuration   326
Best practices for application installation   330
Best practices for package configuration   331
Applications that cannot be sequenced   332
Sequencing an application   333
Types of applications that can be sequenced   333
Preparing for sequencing 335
Sequencing tasks   337
Customizing the package   344
Package editor   345
Windows PowerShell   351
Deploying Office 2013 by using App-V   351
Advanced application sequencing   357
Package accelerators   357
Creating a package accelerator   358
Options for updating packages   378
Sequencing for connection groups 380
Dynamic configuration and targeted scripting   381
Chapter 8   Planning and deploying session-based virtual desktops   387
Understanding RDS   387
Comparing RDS and the Remote Desktop feature   389
RDS architecture   390
Connecting to virtual desktops and RemoteApp programs   392
RDS functionality that enhances the client experience   395
RemoteFX   397
Remote Desktop Connection configuration options   399
RDS licensing   401
Planning infrastructure for session-based desktops 403
Assessing RDS infrastructure requirements   403
Planning for the RD Session Host role service   406
Planning for the RD Connection Broker role service   408
Planning for the RD Web Access role service   410
Planning for preserving user state   411
Deploying session-based virtual desktops   415
Understanding the session-based desktop deployment process   415
Understanding session collections   422
Configuring session collections   426
Configuring RD Licensing servers   434
Understanding high availability for RDS   438
Understanding load balancing   439
High availability for RD Session Host servers   441
High availability for the RD Connection Broker role service   443
High availability for the RD Web Access role service   447
High availability for the RD Licensing role service   447
Chapter 9   Configuring RemoteApp programs and client connectivity   451
Publishing and configuring RemoteApp programs   451
Understanding RemoteApp programs   453
Installing applications on RD Session Host servers   454
Publishing RemoteApp programs   457
Configuring RemoteApp programs   458
Configuring and managing client connections to RDS   461
Configuring RemoteApp and Desktop Connections   462
Customizing RD Web Access   466
Understanding device redirection   467
Understanding printer redirection   469
Managing connections   470
Configuring certificates and single sign-on   472
Understanding RDS certificates   473
Requesting and configuring RDS certificates   475
Understanding single sign-on   478
Chapter 10   Planning and implementing pooled and personal virtual desktops   481
Understanding pooled and personal virtual desktops   481
Using pooled virtual desktops   483
Using personal virtual desktops   484
Comparing virtual desktop options   484
High availability for pooled virtual desktops   485
High availability for personal virtual desktops   486
Planning and creating virtual desktop templates   489
Selecting an operating system   490
Activating the operating system   491
Updating applications and the operating system    494
Eliminating the system partition   495
Optimizing operating system configuration   497
Optimizing App-V   500
Optimizing antivirus software   500
Using Sysprep to prepare a virtual desktop template   501
Planning storage for pooled and personal virtual desktops   503
Using local storage for pooled and personal virtual desktops   503
Using a SAN for pooled and personal virtual desktops   505
Using scale-out file servers for pooled and personal virtual desktops   506
Using additional Windows Server 2012 R2 storage technologies   508
Capacity planning for pooled and personal virtual desktops   511
Capacity planning for storage   512
Capacity planning for memory   513
Capacity planning for networking   514
Capacity planning for processing   515
Capacity planning example   517
Implementing pooled and personal virtual desktops   518
Deploying RD Virtualization Host servers   519
Understanding user profile disks for VM-based virtual desktops   523
Creating a virtual desktop collection   524
Updating pooled virtual desktops   533
Implementing RemoteApp for Hyper-V   535
Chapter 11   Implementing Remote Access for VDI   541
Extending VDI outside the organization   541
Why remote access is important for VDI   541
Methods for securing remote access to VDI   542
Network configuration for RD Gateway   543
Configuration options for RD Gateway   548
Controlling RD Gateway access   557
Overview of controlling RD Gateway access   557
RD CAPs 557
RD RAPs 559
Central RD CAP store   560
Integrating Microsoft Azure Multi-Factor Authentication   561
Chapter 12   Performance and Health Monitoring of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure   565
Monitoring desktop and application virtualization   565
Understanding monitoring for desktop and application virtualization   565
Event monitoring for desktop and application virtualization   566
Performance monitoring tools for desktop and application virtualization   569
Using Process Monitor to identify application issues   571
Using Operations Manager for monitoring   572
Parts of an Operations Manager implementation   573
Understanding management packs and overrides   579
Management packs for monitoring application and desktop virtualization   581
Installing management packs   583
Monitoring desktop virtualization infrastructure   585
Understanding resource bottlenecks   585
Considerations for monitoring desktop virtualization   586
Monitoring RD Session Host server performance   587
Optimizing RD Session Host server performance   588