How to Deploy Windows Virtual Desktop
The Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) service is used to provide Windows 10 desktops in Microsoft Azure. Companies can use this service to book Windows 10, including applications, as a service in Azure. Windows Virtual Desktop can also be set up in a trial version. The service can also be used to provide virtual Windows 7 desktops, including security updates.
What is Windows Virtual Desktop anyway?
Simply put, Windows Virtual Desktop is the next generation of Terminal Services / Remote Desktop Services made available in the cloud. No servers, gateways or other installations are required in the network. No Windows server is used as the server for operation, but Windows 10 Enterprise in a multisession edition. Several users can work with a Windows 10 image at the same time; a server is no longer necessary.
Windows Virtual Desktop enables virtualized Windows desktops and published applications to be distributed and scaled on Azure. Deployment takes a few minutes, but optimizing and customizing the service is more complicated. Applications can also be made available via Windows Virtual Desktop. Companies that still rely on Windows 7 can also integrate their own images.
Windows Virtual Desktop also includes extended support for Windows 7, which provides Windows 7 with updates for up to three years. An IT service company can assist you on this deployment as well as ensure security for your company.
Setting up Windows Virtual Desktop – getting started
Windows Virtual Desktop is set up in the Azure portal or with PowerShell. A separate area is available here for the service. To set up with PowerShell, the execution policy on the computer must be set to “Unrestricted”.
The complete setup takes place after the primary configuration in the Azure portal. The necessary information for the setup can be found on the page “Documentation for Windows Virtual Desktop”.
Setting up Windows Virtual Desktop: Understanding processes
A structured procedure is necessary to create Windows Virtual Desktop with the Azure web portal, with PowerShell or with the WVDAdmin tool. A multisession version of Windows 10 Enterprise is used for the use of WVD. This allows multiple accesses by users at the same time.
You can create the images yourself, including the associated applications. Then VMs are created in Azure based on the images. The Shared Image Gallery in Azure can also be used for this purpose.
In addition, a virtual network is required in Azure in which the WVD environment can be operated. The network must be in place before WVD is deployed, as it cannot be created as part of the WVD configuration.
As soon as the virtual network is available, a new host pool can be created in the Azure portal via the administration page of WVD. The setup takes place via an assistant directly in the Azure portal.
After the host pool has been created, application groups can be created. This defines which apps the users can access with the WVD client. Of course, direct access to the desktop of a virtual computer is also possible. The processes are described in detail in the WVD documentation. In general, the easiest way to set up a WVD environment is with the WVD Admin tool.