Complete Guide to Setting up Azure Virtual Desktops

Summary

This tutorial walks through setting up Azure Virtual Desktops, detailing the process of creating a resource group, virtual network, and host pool. It explains selecting the right region for resources, configuring a virtual machine with Windows 11, and setting up access control. The guide also covers creating a workspace and configuring RDP access for secure, web-based connections, culminating in a demonstration of accessing the virtual desktop environment.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Azure Virtual Desktops allow users to create and manage virtual machines using client operating systems like Windows 10 or 11 within Azure services.
• 🔍 To get started, users must navigate to the Azure portal and access the list of all resources, which includes virtual networks, workspaces, and storage accounts.
• 🚀 The process of creating a virtual desktop involves several steps, including setting up a resource group, a virtual network, and a host pool.
• 📝 Creating a resource group is essential as it acts as a 'bucket' to organize the various resources needed for the virtual desktop.
• 🌐 A virtual network is necessary for the virtual desktop and must be created before setting up the host pool, ensuring all resources are in the same region for proper functionality.
• 💻 The host pool is a collection of virtual machines that users can access; it's created by specifying a name, location, and other configuration options like pool type and load balancing.
• 🖥️ Virtual machines within the host pool can be created directly during the setup or added later, with options to customize the VM's name prefix, location, image, and hardware specifications.
• 🔐 Security is a consideration, with options to enable public inbound ports for remote access, although this is not recommended due to potential security risks.
• 👤 Role assignments are crucial for managing access control, allowing users or administrators to have different levels of access to the virtual desktops.
• 🔗 Workspaces are used to organize and deliver applications to users, and they can be associated with one or more application groups for a streamlined user experience.

Q & A

What is Azure Virtual Desktops?

Azure Virtual Desktops is a service that allows users to create and manage virtual machines running client operating systems like Windows 10 or 11 within Azure services.

Why can't you create a virtual desktop directly in Azure?

You can't create a virtual desktop directly in Azure because it involves multiple steps similar to setting up a remote desktop application on a Windows Server, including creating a resource group, virtual network, and host pool.

What is the purpose of creating a resource group in Azure?

A resource group in Azure acts as a container that holds related resources for an application, making it easier to manage and organize them.

Why is it important to place all resources in the same region in Azure?

Placing all resources in the same region ensures that the services work correctly and efficiently as some Azure services may not function properly if resources are spread across different regions.

What is a virtual network in Azure and why is it needed for Virtual Desktops?

A virtual network in Azure is a representation of your own network in the cloud, providing logical isolation from other networks. It is needed for Virtual Desktops to provide a secure and dedicated network for the virtual machines.

What is a host pool in the context of Azure Virtual Desktops?

A host pool in Azure Virtual Desktops is a collection of one or more virtual machines that are configured as a group to provide desktops to users.

What is the difference between a personal and pooled host pool?

A personal host pool allows a one-to-one mapping between a user and a virtual desktop, while a pooled host pool allows multiple users to access a shared set of virtual desktops.

What is the purpose of creating a workspace in Azure Virtual Desktops?

A workspace in Azure Virtual Desktops is used to organize and publish applications to users, providing a centralized location for users to access their virtual desktops and applications.

How can users access their Azure Virtual Desktop sessions?

Users can access their Azure Virtual Desktop sessions through a web browser or a remote desktop client, depending on the configuration and security settings.

What is the significance of assigning role-based access control (RBAC) in Azure Virtual Desktops?

Assigning RBAC in Azure Virtual Desktops allows for fine-grained control over who has access to resources and what actions they can perform, enhancing security and management.

Outlines

00:00

💻 Setting Up Azure Virtual Desktops

The paragraph introduces the process of setting up Azure Virtual Desktops, which involves adding virtual machines using client operating systems like Windows 10 or 11 within Azure services. The user navigates to the Azure portal and plans to create a virtual desktop, acknowledging that it's a multi-step process akin to setting up a remote desktop application on a Windows Server. The user outlines the necessary steps, such as creating a resource group, a virtual network, and a host pool, and begins by creating a resource group within the Azure portal. The importance of placing all resources in the same region for proper functionality is emphasized. The user then proceeds to create a resource group named 'virtual desktop-Dash group' in the US West region.

05:02

🌐 Creating a Virtual Network for Azure Virtual Desktops

This section details the creation of a virtual network, which is a crucial component for Azure Virtual Desktops. The user explains that while the virtual desktop pool could be created with all the components within it, doing so separately provides clarity on each component's function. The user creates a virtual network named 'virtual desktop-Dash Network' and selects an IP address and subnet provided by default. The explanation covers the address space and subnet concepts, highlighting how multiple subnets can fit within an address space. The user completes the creation of the virtual network and moves on to the next step, which is creating the host pool.

10:02

🛠️ Configuring the Host Pool for Virtual Desktops

The host pool configuration is the focus of this paragraph. The user explains that a host pool is necessary before creating virtual desktops and guides through the creation process within the Azure portal. The user selects the 'virtual desktop group' resource group and names the pool 'jump in.' The location is chosen to match previous selections for consistency. The paragraph covers various options such as the validation environment, preferred app group type, pool type, load balancing method, and maximum users per session. The user decides to create a virtual machine within the host pool, setting the name prefix, location, security type, and image. The user also configures the virtual machine's resources, such as vCPUs and RAM, and chooses the virtual network previously created. The paragraph concludes with the user setting up access methods for the virtual desktop, opting for a web browser access over a public IP for security reasons.

15:03

🔑 Assigning Permissions and Access to Virtual Desktops

In this paragraph, the user discusses assigning permissions and setting up access control for the virtual desktop. The user navigates to the host pool, assigns an application group, and adds a user account to access the virtual desktop. The user then sets up role assignments for both a standard user and an administrator, explaining the difference between the two access levels. The user also creates a workspace, which is used to organize and deliver applications to users. The workspace is configured with a name and friendly name, and the user assigns an application group to it. The user then sets up RDP access, ensuring that the virtual desktop can be accessed through a web browser. The paragraph concludes with the user demonstrating how to connect to the virtual desktop using a provided URL, showcasing the login process and the desktop environment once accessed.

Keywords

💡Azure Virtual Desktops

Azure Virtual Desktops is a service that allows users to create and manage virtual machines running client operating systems such as Windows 10 or 11 within the Azure cloud environment. In the video, the narrator demonstrates how to set up these virtual desktops, highlighting its use for remote access and resource management. It's a key concept as the entire video is a tutorial on how to create and configure Azure Virtual Desktops.

💡Resource Group

A Resource Group in Azure is a container that holds related resources for an Azure solution. The narrator explains the necessity of creating a Resource Group as a 'bucket' to organize the various resources needed for the virtual desktop setup. This is foundational to understanding the structure of Azure services as it helps in organizing and managing resources efficiently.

💡Virtual Network

A Virtual Network in Azure is a representation of your own network in the cloud. It is a key component when setting up Azure Virtual Desktops as it allows for the creation of a secure network environment. The video script mentions creating a Virtual Network and associating it with the Resource Group, which is essential for the connectivity and security of the virtual desktops.

💡Host Pool

A Host Pool in the context of Azure Virtual Desktops refers to a collection of one or more virtual machines that are configured identically and provide desktops or applications to multiple users. The script describes creating a host pool as a critical step in setting up the virtual desktop environment, as it determines how the virtual machines will be used and managed.

💡Session

In the video, a session refers to an interactive period during which a user is logged in and using the virtual desktop. The script mentions setting up a session as part of the process to access the virtual desktop, which is crucial for understanding how users will interact with the Azure Virtual Desktop service.

💡Role Assignment

Role Assignment in Azure is the process of assigning permissions to users, groups, or services at a particular scope. The video script includes a step where the narrator adds role assignments to control access to the virtual desktops. This is an important concept for managing permissions and ensuring that only authorized users can access the virtual desktop resources.

💡Active Directory

Active Directory is a directory service by Microsoft that allows for centralized management of user accounts and other directory services. In the script, the narrator discusses the option to use Azure Active Directory for managing user authentication for the virtual desktops, which is essential for understanding how user access is controlled in an Azure environment.

💡Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

RDP is a protocol used by Microsoft for remote login services. Although the video script mentions not using RDP over a public IP for security reasons, it does discuss setting up RDP access via a web browser, which is a key aspect of how users will remotely connect to their virtual desktops in Azure.

💡Virtual Machine (VM)

A Virtual Machine is a software implementation of a machine that executes programs like a physical machine. The video script includes the creation of VMs as part of the host pool, which is a fundamental step in setting up the virtual desktop environment. VMs are the building blocks of the virtual desktop infrastructure in Azure.

💡Workspace

In the context of Azure Virtual Desktops, a Workspace is a logical container that contains user sessions and applications. The script describes creating a workspace, which is important for understanding how users will access and organize their applications and desktops within the virtual environment.

💡Load Balancing

Load Balancing is a method of distributing network traffic across a number of servers to ensure no single server becomes overwhelmed. The video script mentions 'breadth first' as a type of load balancing strategy for the host pool, which is crucial for understanding how the virtual desktop service manages the distribution of user sessions to ensure optimal performance.

Highlights

Introduction to Azure Virtual Desktops and the process of adding Virtual Machines using client operating systems like Windows 10 or 11.

Accessing the Azure portal and navigating to the 'All resources' section to view available services.

The necessity of creating a virtual desktop through a multi-step process akin to setting up a remote desktop application on a Windows Server.

Creating a resource group as a prerequisite for organizing the various resources needed for the virtual desktop.

The importance of placing all resources in the same region to ensure proper functionality.

The process of creating a virtual network and its integration with the resource group.

Explanation of IP addressing and subnetting within the virtual network.

The distinction between a personal and pooled host pool and the choice between breadth-first and depth-first load balancing.

The option to create a virtual machine during the host pool creation or to do it later.

Customization of virtual machines, including naming, location, security type, and image selection.

The allocation of resources such as vCPUs and RAM to virtual machines and the consideration of costs.

The selection of a virtual network for the virtual machines and the option to enable public inbound ports.

The process of assigning permissions to access the virtual desktop and setting up role assignments for user and administrator access.

The creation of a workspace to manage and deliver applications to users.

The configuration of RDP access for secure connection to the virtual desktop without using a public IP address.

The final step of accessing the virtual desktop through a web browser and the ability to connect to Azure Active Directory resources.

Comparison of Azure Virtual Desktops to Windows Server remote desktop application mode, highlighting the configurability in the Azure cloud.

Transcripts

Azure virtual desktops are a way that we

can add in Virtual machines using client

operating systems like Windows 10 or 11

inside Azure services so I'm logged into

portal.azure.com and I'm going to go to

where it says all resources just so you

can see a list of all the resources I

have there's all different kinds of

things in here virtual networks

workspace storage accounts things like

that what I want to do is I want to

create a virtual desktop but I can't

just create it directly it's almost like

creating a remote desktop application

set up on a Windows Server there's a lot

of steps you have to do before you get

to that point so let's take a look at

the different steps and get started

here's a list of assignments that we're

going to need to do such as creating the

resource Group create a virtual Network

create a host pool Etc

let's start by creating the resource

Group

I'm back at portal.azure.com and if you

don't see the resource Group in your

list just go ahead and type in Resource

Group in the search box and then it'll

show up and you can go ahead and add one

so I'll click on resource groups this is

also assuming that you already have an

Azure subscription if you don't have one

yet you'll need to log in the first time

create an account and add in your credit

card and then you'll be able to add in

your subscription so assuming that that

part is already done let's go ahead and

continue on

you can see I've already got multiple

resource groups the reason we need to

create a resource Group is because this

is like a bucket we're going to need to

create a lot of other things but we have

to put it in something and a bucket is

the best place to put it and in this

case that bucket is called a resource

Group you can see I already have my

subscription now I need to create the

resource Group name

and I'll call this the virtual desktop

Dash group and this next part is really

important because if you don't put all

of your different resources the things

we're going to create in the same region

then some things may not work right so

I'll choose us West

and click on next

tags are just something used to create

Organization for billable purposes so I

don't need to worry about that and now

I'll click create

and this doesn't take very long and it's

all done I'm going to go back to home

and back to

my search box and I'll type in the

second thing we need to do which is to

create a virtual Network

and I'll click on Virtual Networks

now one of the interesting things about

doing all this is I can do this within

creating the virtual desktop pool

however if I do it all there you may not

understand exactly all the different

pieces and what they do so just for

teaching purposes I'm going to go ahead

and do this outside of the pool and then

add them into the pool once we're done

so that'll make a lot more sense at that

time so I've already created the

resource Group now I can tie that to

my virtual Network by selecting it here

and now I'll give this a name

I'll call it virtual desktop Dash

Network now I'll choose the IP address

by default it's going to pick a 10 dot

address maybe something you haven't used

before so I'm going to choose the subnet

that it's picked for me which is 10.4

I'm perfectly fine with that you can see

that it creates an address space which

is going to be 10400 16 which gives you

65 000 addresses but then it adds a

subnet so the difference between the two

are that you can put a lot of different

subnets inside your address space and

it's picking a slash 24 which gives you

254 addresses it's just the way that

Azure does it so I'm going to go ahead

and choose this default subnet that it's

created along with the address space at

the top so if I wanted to I could create

additional subnets that would be

10.4.1.010.4.2.0 and they would all

nicely fit inside this 10400 slash 16

address space if I chose to do so and I

don't really need to do that so I'll go

ahead and click next

I don't need to make any other changes

so I'll just click next and I'll go

ahead and choose to create

and this doesn't take very long to

create

and that has been created I can go to

the resource and take a look at the

different properties but I need to get

on to the next step

so we've created our Resource Group

we've created a virtual Network and now

it's time to create the host pool

I'm going to go back to home

and I'm going to type in either Azure

virtual desktop or if you see the icon

there you can just go ahead and click on

it so once again you can click on the

search box if you'd like

now before I can create a virtual

desktop as I mentioned before I have to

create a host pool so I'll click on the

create a host pool and then from there I

can create my desktops once again my

Azure subscription the resource Group

will choose virtual desktop group

the pool name I'll call it

jump in

and the location you can see it

defaulted to something other than what I

was using before so I want to make sure

that I go down and choose the exact same

one I chose last time

now you have the validation environment

the validation environment just

basically allows you to test things out

before you apply them to production but

I'm going to go ahead and keep it as no

so we can keep moving forward then you

have the option for the preferred app

Group type you see you have the desktop

and you have the remote app

remote app allows you to deliver

applications remotely and desktop is

going to be where you just allow those

installations to happen locally I'm just

going to leave it a desktop and then

when it comes to the pool type

personal will allow a one-to-one

selection between the user and the

virtual desktop and pooled allows you to

create a group of people that can access

those desktops so I'm going to choose

the pooled option in this case just as

an example but you can do it either way

breadth first versus depth first breath

to First is going to be a way of load

balancing so we can do load balancing

where we allow a certain amount of

virtual desktops to log in before we

create another one or we can have

multiple different people log in and

then we create the other one later on so

I'm just going to choose the breadth

first and then the maximum number of

users per session you can put whatever

it is you'd like I'll just choose two

but you can choose as many that works

for you and it's a good idea to test

those out now the next thing I can do is

I can create a virtual machine right

here or I can choose no and do it later

I'll go ahead and choose yes to add this

virtual machine now the name prefix that

is going to be whatever your hosts start

with as a name so for instance if I call

this one jump in

then what's going to happen is the first

virtual desktop is created is going to

be jump in zero then jump in one then

jump in two that kind of thing and once

again I gotta make sure my virtual

machine location is in the same place

every single time

I don't want to add in infrastructure

redundancy although you can do that for

additional charge and you've got the

security type I'll leave that standard

and

here are your images I'm just going to

go ahead and choose a Windows 11.

multi-session although you can add in

with applications already pre-installed

so I'll choose that one and by default

it's going to choose these two vcpus and

eight gigs of RAM but you can go ahead

and change that if you need more or less

based on your cost I'm going to create

just a single virtual desktop but you

may want to choose 5 or 10 or however

many you'd like of course you'll be

charged per desktop to do that standard

SSD is fine

I don't necessarily need any Diagnostics

separate from what's shown there and

under the virtual Network I want to make

sure that I choose

my virtual desktop Network that I

created earlier

I can also add in public inbound ports

if I'd like and then I can remote into

that virtual desktop

it's not really recommended that we have

public inbound ports because it is a bit

of a security risk but you can do that

I'm going to choose no and the way I'm

going to access this is through a web

browser and it will work just as well as

say a remote desktop client over a

public IP but it'll be a lot more secure

you can also connect to this user remote

desktop if you have a VPN tunnel between

your network and Azure that requires a

lot of extra setup and there is a cost

roughly about five dollars a day from

what Microsoft tells us but that could

vary

under active directory there's no reason

to choose your on-premises active

directory if you've got Azure active

directory set up so I'm going to choose

that I don't need to enroll an InTune

but you may decide you would like to do

that

and I went ahead and added in a local

username and password that's separate

from active directory just in case you

need to log into it locally to fix any

particular problems I don't have an arm

template to add in this is supported by

virtual desktop classic we're going to

be using the newer version so this is

something that you may not even want to

configure I'm going to go on to

workspace I don't need to

and I'll click on advanced

and tags and review and create so I

didn't need to make any other changes

there so now I'll click create now this

portion can take up to about 20 minutes

because it's creating the pool then it's

creating the virtual desktop and it just

takes a lot of time to do this once this

is all set then we can go ahead and

finish up our configuration and start

accessing our virtual desktop

if I go back to our list you can see the

host pool has been created the Azure

virtual desktop's been created next I'm

going to be assigning an active

directory user and setting up Access

Control into that virtual desktop and

you need to add in a role assignment and

add in members as well

these next steps after creating the host

pool and virtual desktop actually go

fairly quickly it's just the host pool

and desktop portion that does take quite

a while to do the resource has been

created I'll click on go to resource

and now you can see that we have a

virtual desktop ready to go there's lots

of other settings I'm just going to

click on the virtual machines for the

virtual desktop and you can see that it

appended that jump in with the dash zero

just as I said that it would

and everything looks the way it should

so I'm going to go back to the host pool

now I need to assign some permission so

I'll click on application groups

and there's the jump in dash application

group now that was automatically created

I didn't create that myself it just

became created when I created the pool

so I'm going to click on assignments

and I'm going to click on ADD

and off to the right hand side you can

add in users or groups

and click select

so now my user account has access to the

dag or desktop application group

although now I'm available to log in

using the pool I need one additional

assignment so I'm going to go back

to home and I'll just go into

my virtual desktop Group which is the

resource Group

so I'm going to go up to access control

click on that

and then I'll click add

and I'll choose add role assignment

and there's lots of different role

assignments this is all part of the

role-based access control that Microsoft

is moving to so I'll type in Virtual

machine

because that ultimately that's exactly

what it is

and I'll click on virtual machine user

login

and I'll click next

and once again I will select members

I'll add in my account and click select

I'll choose review and assign

looks good and now it's added that role

assignment now take a look at all these

different options here you can choose

who has access to this resource you can

also set up deny assignments and create

a custom role as well here's your deny

assignments here you have your roles and

you have your classic administrators

we're not using classic administrators

anymore so we'll continue to move

forward with the latest and greatest

I'm going to do this one more time but

this time I'm going to add in a role

assignment for an administrator to the

virtual desktop

and I'll choose administrator login

click next and basically just do the

same thing

the difference between the two are going

to be whether a user will have complete

Administration over that virtual desktop

or just basic user and if you don't want

them to be adding their own applications

or making any changes then you don't

want them to be part of this

administrator group but in my case I do

I'm gonna go back home once again I'm

done there I'm going to click on Azure

virtual desktop

and now I need to create a workspace so

I'll click on workspaces

and I'll click on create a workspace

and what the workspace does is it

basically allows you to push out

applications off to those users if you

choose to do so but it's going to be

what it is that they see when they log

in so I'm going to choose my virtual

desktop group my subscription

everything's good there now I'm going to

call this workspace name

virtual desktop workspace

and we could have a friendly name as

well

I'll call it workspace one and once

again we have to choose our same

location

so I'll click next

I'm not going to register any

application groups at this time so I'll

click next Advanced tags we don't need

to worry about that review and create

and click create so there really wasn't

a lot of customization there but we need

to have at least one of our workspaces

assigned into our virtual desktop

now I'm going to click on go to that

resource

and I could have assigned an application

group during the creation but I just

wanted to show you these properties so I

can go ahead and add that in separately

so we'll choose

the one

application group already created and

click select

and now that has been added into our

workspace

now there can be multiple application

groups if you need to use those I'm just

going to have the one so now I'm going

to go back home and I'm going to go into

my host pool called jump in

and there's our pool once again

now we need to set up RDP access

although we're not getting in using a

remote desktop protocol over a public IP

address we are doing it over a web

browser so I need to allow that to

happen

so I'm going to paste in the semicolon

Target is aad joined and then colon I

colon one and that just lets any

applications know that this is going to

be an Azure active directory joined

computer so I'm going to paste this in

at the very end

just as you see here and click save

another good reason to do that is

because it also supports a single

sign-on

I'm going to click on overview

and my virtual desktop virtual machines

and everything is available

one of the last things to do is going to

be to copy this URL and

paste it into a web browser and connect

to our virtual desktop

I'm going to open up a new tab

right click and paste it in

and it's loading and there's the virtual

desktop session so I'll click on that

you can choose what you want to access

as far as local resources goes you can

choose whether or not to have it

continued to prompt

and now we're opening it up

it's asking for my username and password

and there it is my session is opening up

for my virtual desktop

now if you have any Azure active

directory resources such as storage that

you'd like to connect to you can do that

as well

and there is my desktop

I of course have access to all the same

menus and any applications that I might

have decided to set up

Azure virtual desktops Works in a

similar way as Windows Server remote

desktop application mode but you can

configure it instead in the Azure cloud