Demo VDI and RDS in Windows Server 2012

 

Follow up on my previous post after talking about App-V 5 and my yesterday session about Windows 8 Virtualization. Therefore, in today article, i will post a video about my demo during Microsoft Techday 2012 (Malaysia). When i recorded this video, there is no audio recording enable therefore here is a short description about each video. Some guidelines:-

• Click Full Screen
• Click Change Quality and set to 480p
• View nicely in tablet Nexus 7.

Video 1:-

Centralized Management using Server Manager to manage Remote Desktop Services. In the past we got 4 different console to manage RDS, but with Windows Server 2012, you only have 1 console which is Server Manager. I have deployed RD Web Access, RD Connection Broker, RD Virtualization Host and RD Session Host. 4 collection has created :- 1 for Application in the VM Pool, 1 for Remote Desktop Session Host, 2 for VM Pool running Windows 7 and Windows 8. Besides, i also show on how to publish an application which is running in VM into RD Web Access.

Video 2

Access to RD Web Access and able to view group of application and console published in RD Session Host and Application from VM Pool. With Windows Server 2012, now you can group multiple application into Folder and display in RD Web Access.

Video 3

Showing access to Pool VM which is running Windows 8 Enterprise. Walkthrough on Start screen, make the tile smaller/larger, arrange the tile, group the tile and open facebook photo using Win 8 Photo App which is showing Legoland Malaysia.

Video 4

Access to pool VM and try to play video USB thumb drive which i just plug from my laptop. I was able to video the USB thumb drive and access to content. Try to play one of video using Win 8 Video App but failed. It is because the app cannot play *.3gp format. Therefore, i access to App-V 5 new management console using web browser and publish 3 application:- winrar, VLC player and Firefox browser. After publish, i use the modern UI App-V 5 client to get the updated virtual application. Now i was able to play the *.3gp format by using VLC Virtual Application.

Related post:

• Presentation:- Windows 8 Virtualization

• Quick Walkthrough on App-V 5 Deployment

Presentation:- Windows 8 Virtualization

 

Today during Microsoft Techday 2012 (Malaysia), we have presented about Windows 8 Virtualization to 300+ audience at Sunway Pyramid Convention Center.

Our session has covered about

• Operating system virtualization - Client Hyper-V
• Presentation virtualization – VDI using Windows Server 2012
• Application virtualization – App-V 5

Slide

Windows 8 Virtualization from Lai Yoong Seng

Quick Walkthrough on App-V 5 Deployment

 

In the mid of preparing on my next presentation session, i have play around with App-V 5 together with Windows Server 2012 VDI. Let have a quick look on how do i set up and preparing my demo environment

Introduction

What's App-V 5? It is a application virtualization and streaming solution from Microsoft and mainly use in desktop environment.

To setup App-V, there are 3 component that you need to setup

a) App-V Management Server

I just installed the entire component App-V into a single VM. With App-V 5, .RTSP is gone. Now use SMB and HTTP streaming. To manage it, you now have new management console. No longer use MMC snap-in. Now purely web based and using Silverlight

b) App-V Sequencer

Use Hyper-V Server and create a clean guest operating system, disable Windows Defender, disable Windows Search and create a snapshot. You need to create a snapshot so you can revert to clean operating system before sequence an app. After sequence an app, remember to revert the snapshot

Now with App-V 5, you no longer have Q Drive, package format SFT is gone and so are OSD and ICO files. Now everything stored in a new .AppV file format. In order the view the content, you can rename .appv to .zip.

If you’ve previous App-V format, it would not work in App-V 5. You need to convert to new format.

Some guidelines on what type application that you cannot sequence

• Office plug-in
• Device driver
• Middleware
• Path hard coding application
• Auto update application
• COM+
• COM DLL
• Licensing policies. App which tie to MAC address, dongles, etc

c) App-V Client

The supported client operating system is Windows 7 and Windows 8. Now, how about older version of client operating system? Well, App-V cannot support the above OS. If you would like to support older operating system, you need to use App-V 4.6.

During preparation of my client base template (Windows 7 and 8), i need to install App-V client into the base template and configure some setting before sysprep the VM for VDI Collection creation

a) Point App-V client to communicate to App-V Publishing server to get the app-v package

Set-ExecutionPolicy remotesigned Import-Module appvclient Add-AppvPublishingServer -Name Server -URL http://red-appvmgmt01.ms4u.info:82

Note:- App-V Publishing server is Red-AppVMGMT01 and is using port 82. Please take note on the port number that you configure during the installation or you can refer the port from IIS.

b) Configure Shared Content Store Mode using Powershell. With Shared Content Store Mode enabled, allowing you to make the best use of expensive disk resources without changing the way you get your job done.

set-appvclientconfiguration -sharedcontentstoremode 1

or using registry. Set

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\AppV\Client\Streaming\SharedContentStoreMode=1

App-V 5 client has completely revamped client (Modern UI), programmable using Powershell. Here is how App-V 5 Client new interface look like:-

Some virtual app that i’ve prepared for my session:

Alright, this is how simple to use App-V 5 and the demo set has ready for next week, Microsoft Techday 2012, Malaysia event. 

Microsoft Server Posterpedia App

 

Do you want to understand Microsoft technology in a simple way ? All you need to do is visit “Store” on Windows 8,search for “Server Posterpedia” app and install it.

Once installed, select the poster. To zoom in/out, press “Ctrl + Scroll Mouse”.

Server Posterpedia app included with the following posters:-

a) Windows Server & Exchange

b) Sharepoint Server

c) Windows Azure, Office and Lync Server

If you want to download and print the poster, please click here

StarWind Native SAN for Hyper-V V6 Released

 

Few words from “Starwind Software”:-

Today we released StarWind Native SAN for Hyper-V V6 with enhanced Hyper-V Backup Plug-in.

Also, we present our Free editions of StarWind iSCSI SAN and StarWind Native San for Hyper-V with High Availability without any hidden costs.

And finally, our StarWind VMware Backup is available!

The links to our Press Releases are below:

• http://www.starwindsoftware.com/news/85
• http://www.starwindsoftware.com/news/86
• http://www.starwindsoftware.com/news/87
Enjoy! .

p/s:- It is time for me to get a copy and evaluate the product as well.

Giveaway NFR License File on Veeam Backup and Replication 6.5 Which Support Windows Server 2012

 

Dear IT Pros and MVPs!

Our blog sponsor: Veeam offers you a FREE 2-socket NFR license for Veeam Backup & Replication 6.5 which can support Windows Server 2012.

If you are a VMware vExpert, VMware Certified Professional (VCP) or VMware Certified Instructor (VCI), get your NFR easily by clicking here.

If you are an MVP, MCP or MCTS, click here to get your free license.

Enjoy!

Related post:-

Backup Hyper-V Over SMB

 

In my previous post, i have talked about how to configure Hyper-V Over SMB. To move on, we are going to look into how to backup Hyper-V Over SMB using DPM 2012 SP1. There are few pre-requisites that you need to configure before proceed to use DPM to perform backup.

Before that, if you dont follow the pre-requisite, you will probably receive following error messages

1. When select VM in SMB for backup:

Note:- FSCluster01 is the Scale Out File Server Name

2. When try to install agent on FSCluster01

Pre-requisite that need to configure first:-

a) Install DPM Agent on Hyper-V Host

b) Install DPM Agent on File Server Host

c) Install File Server VSS Agent Service on File Server Host

d) Configure DPM backup protection group and select the VM reside in SMB

That should do the trick and DPM will not successful backup Hyper-V Over SMB.

Configure Hyper-V Over SMB

 

In this article, we would look into how to configure Hyper-V Over SMB. Virtual Machine is created and store in SMB 3 which is File Server running in Windows Server 2012. In my today setup, here is the scenario:-

• 2 Node Hyper-V Cluster (PR-HYP31 , PR-HYP32). Cluster name:- REDCluster01
• 2 Node File Server Cluster (RED-FS01, RED-FS02). Cluster name:- REDCluster02

Note:- It is recommended to separate Hyper-V and File Server Cluster when configure Hyper-V Over SMB. Do not share and put Scale Out File Server together with Hyper-V

Pre-requisite

a) Install File Server Role on both File Servers. On each File Server Cluster, enable the File Server roles.

b) Configure constraint delegation in Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. When enabled, constrained delegation gives you the ability to use a specific SMB remote file share without requiring you to perform an action on any computer. Constrained delegation tells Active Directory Users and Computers that between two computers, (in this case, the Hyper-V server and the SMB file server), and for specific services, (in this case, SMB), it is allowed to re-issue access to the resources.

• Select the Hyper-V Host and select Delegation
• Select Trust this computer for delegation to specified services only
• Select Use Kerberos
• Add CIFS for Cluster Access Point for a Scale-Out File Server. (Example:- FSCluster01)

Configuration

1. Configure File Server Cluster using Failover Cluster. Add File Server Role with  “Scale Out File Server for application data” as the File Server Type. Enter FSCluster01 as the Client Access Point.

3. Once complete, “Right click the Scale Out File Server” and “Add File Share”

4. Once File Share Wizard open, select “SMB Share –Application”

5. On the Share location, select the CSV and click Next

6. On Share name page, enter the share name and click OK. Example:- HyperVSMB which located in C:\ClusterStorage\Volume1\Shares\HyperVSMB

7. Leave the share settings default and click Next

8. On Permission page, perform below configuration:-

• On the Permissions page, click Customize Permissions.
• Click Add, click Select a Principal, and then click Object Types.
• In Object Types, click to select Computers, and click OK.
• Enter the name of the computer, and click OK.
• In Permissions Entry, select Full Control, and click OK.

Note:- Repeat the same step and add the rest of Hyper-V Host, SYSTEM and Hyper-V Administrator account.

9. Final result on the permission configuration:-

• PR-HYP31 (Hyper-V Node 1)
• PR-HYP32 (Hyper-V Node 2)
• REDCloud01 (Hyper-V Cluster name)
• SYSTEM
• Domain Admin Account

10. Click Create to create the SMB file share

11. On the VMM Server 2012 SP1, add the File Share Storage. Right click the Hyper-V Cluster and select Properties. Select File Share Storage and click Add to enter the File Share Path that you have specified in Step 6. Example:- \\FSCluster01\HyperVSMB

12. Then you can use VMM to deploy a VM Template to file share. Remember to change the location to file share (Highlighted in Yellow)

Hope the above configuration assist you in setup “Hyper-V Over SMB”.