Test Microsoft RemoteApp in Azure

 

In today’s dynamic business environment, everyone wants to access corporate resources from a variety of devices and be productive anywhere, anytime. The “bring-your-own-device” trend presents not only an opportunity to increase productivity but also a challenge to maintain data compliance. To meet these ever-changing business needs with limited resources, you need a flexible infrastructure that can securely scale up or down.

Azure RemoteApp delivers Window Server session-based applications from Azure. With Azure RemoteApp, you can:

• Enable users to access corporate applications from anywhere, on a variety of devices.

• Quickly respond to the dynamic needs of the business, without large capital requirements.

• Centralize and protect corporate applications with the security features and reliability of Azure.

A the time of we writing this post, we are still unable access “RemoteApp” features in Azure for setup and still waiting for the approval.

However, we manage to locate a link for us to test the demo environment setup by Microsoft and here we would take this opportunities to share to our reader.

To test it, please go to https://www.remoteapp.windowsazure.com/ (free trial access with Microsoft Azure)

If you’re using laptop/ desktop running windows operating system, you can install the RemoteApp Client. Then login using ID which has access to Microsoft Azure.

Once connected , the Windows will list down RemoteApp and this moment consists of:

• Excel 2013
• Power Point 2013
• Visio 2013
• Word 2013
• MS Paint

After open Visio RemoteApp, you can view “Microsoft Azure RemoteApp Service Architecture” drawing. Seem this is how the Azure RemoteApp”.

Next, how about access RemoteApp from other platforms. You can get the app for

• Windows
• Android
• Apple

Android fan, go to Play Store to download “Microsoft Remote Desktop” app

Apple fan, go to store to download “Microsoft Remote Desktop”

Now, let have a look on how do we access the demo environment by using Android devices. Make sure your Microsoft Remote Desktop App is updated to version 8.0.6. This version support for “Microsoft RemoteApp”

To access, go to “Microsoft RemoteApp”

Enter your credential to access “Microsoft Azure”

List of “RemoteApp” displayed as similar as our previous access by using laptop

Select “Visio” RemoteApp”

That’s all for our testing on “RemoteApp” in Microsoft Azure. So go ahead and test the system before Microsoft release to public. Enjoy!

Running Remote Desktop Services in Windows Azure

 

Yesterday we received a memo regarding  electrical power shutdown maintenance  conducted by TNB at our data center location.  That’s mean no electrical power for few days during this weekend and UPS or generator won’t be able to sustain to boot up servers at data center. One of the server is our Remote Desktop Services and it is running multiple application for mobile users who are using Surface RT, android tablet and Ipad.

Too bad, we don’t have another data center to use Hyper-V Replica to failover the VM.

With no electricity, mean they won’t be able to access their application and continue working.

But we not too worry about it as we’ve successful setup Hybrid Cloud and move some workload to Windows Azure and one of them is Remote Desktop Services.

Architecture

This above  figure depicted that we have setup an additional domain controller at Windows Azure and constantly replicate active directory object with on premise Active Directory.

Then we have created two virtual machine: Remote Desktop Gateway and Remote Desktop Server (holding RDS Web, RDS Broker, RDS Session Host)

* This is just a simple deployment. It is recommended to setup Availability Set and Load Balancing.

For more information, please refer to:

• Establish Connection on Private Cloud to Windows Azure Using Point to Site VPN

• Creating a Virtualized Read Only Active Directory in Windows Azure

• Virtual Machine Availability in Windows Azure

Supported

• Session Host running Remote Desktop Services is supported running in Windows Azure.
• VDI using Remote Desktop Services is NOT supported to run in Windows Azure

For more information, please refer to

• Microsoft server software support for Windows Azure Virtual Machines

Licensing

Microsoft quoted

• Service providers can offer hosted solutions through RDS running on Windows Azure as long as they obtained RDS SALs (Subscriber Access Licenses).
• Volume Licensing customers who have active Software Assurance on their RDS User CALs are entitled to RDS CAL Extended Rights, which allow use of their RDS User CAL with Software Assurance against a Windows Server running on Windows Azure or other service providers’ shared server environments.
• Multi-tenant hosting is restricted in the Product Use Rights of Windows Client, such as Windows 7 or Windows 8. Windows Client Desktops are not available on either Windows Azure or on any other Service Provider such as Amazon or Rackspace.

For more information about license, you can refer to here.

Configuration

At Windows Azure

Deploy several virtual machine to host active directory, RDS Gateway and RDS Servers.

To deploy RDS roles, refer to here.

At client machine

For Ipad and Android tablet, download Remote Client at Google Play store or Apple Store

• Remote Desktop App For Android and iOS

  Configure Remote desktop and remote resources settings.

For Surface RT

• Install the certificate that you use previously to setup Remote Desktop Services on your Surface RT
• Configure Remote App and Desktop Connection to point to RDS Web

Final result

Remote App available on Surface RT. Mobile users can access directly to the application by selecting the app. The communication between thin client to RDS Gateway is using port HTTPS (TCP 443). RDS Gateway will encapsulate the RDS traffic to TCP 443.

 

For vpn client, they can directly access to RDS Web Server by using browser.

Conclusion

Now we can run Remote Desktop Services using Windows Azure. No longer require to host it internally or on premise.

With Windows Azure infrastructure, it allow us to scale virtual machine when require , meet the workload demand and achieve 99.95% availability by setting up availability set in Windows Azure.

Run Hyper-V Manager, MS Visio and MS Project from Surface RT or Nexus 7 FHD Using Presentation Virtualization

 

I have playing around with my new Surface for quite some time. Really love the feel of the touch screen and Windows 8.1 RT. It’s preloaded with MS Outlook 2013, MS Word 2013, MS Excel and MS Power Point. Great application for people who are always on the move but I find it a bit lacking especially as a consultant, I need to always use Hyper-V Manager snap-in to remote into customer environment and manage multiple virtual machines, MS Project to do project scheduling for customer and MS Visio for drawing virtualization architecture. But guess what Surface RT cannot install application except app from MS Store?

How about my Nexus 7 FHD? Even worse, no MS Office application unless I’m using Quick Office which don’t give me similar function as MS Office.

It come to the the point that my this small laptop bag need to carry 3 devices: DELL Laptop, Nexus 7 FHD and Surface.

When at customer place, customer surprise with how many gadget that I carry when go to work. Hey!… I’m an IT Guy!

So next question is how do I solve my problem and get the following program inside my Surface?

• Hyper-V Manager snap-in
• MS Visio 2013
• MS Project 2013

Interest to know more, please continue reading….

1st step:-

• Setup RDS Session Host –Windows Server 2012 R2 on a Virtual Machine

2nd step:-

• Enable features Hyper-V Manager snap-in , install MS Office 2013 Application, MS Project 2013 and MS Visio 2013 on RDS Session Host.

3rd Step:-

• Configure and Publish RemoteApp on RDS Session Host

4th Step:-

• Verify using Internet Browser. I’ve create a group : Office App which contained the entire MS Office 2013 Application

Now the fun part on testing using Surface from LAN / Internet:-

• LAN – use Ethernet or wireless connection
• Internet – use VPN / Direct Access back to office

On Surface

5th Step:

Configure RemoteApp and Desktop Connection URL on Surface

Once connection established, you will able to see your entire RemoteApp program at Start. Here is how it look like (red box)

Hyper-V Manager snap-in on Surface:-

All application work great!

Last test on Nexus 7 FHD (running android 4.3)

1st Step:-

• Use MS Remote Desktop Client App for Android and Configure your RDS Session Host settings.

2nd Step:-

• Connect to RDS Session Host. RemoteApp displayed on the android 4.3.

3rd Step:-

• Test MS Project 2013 Application running on Nexus 7 FHD (android 4.3)

Updated: [31 Oct 2013]

Just installed Google Chrome on RDS and enable user profile disk in Windows Server 2012 R2. User profile disks store user and application data on a single virtual disk that is dedicated to one user’s profile.

It is working fine as well.

Now I can bring either Surface or Nexus 7 FHD everywhere without worrying about application. Just get my application installed on RDS Session Host and with Internet access I would be able to work anywhere & anytime.

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

RDS Component Architecture Poster

RDS Component Architecture Poster is available. This poster illustrate the architecture of Remote Desktop Services and the component of RDS: RD Session Host, RD Virtualization Host, RD Connection Broker, RD Web Access, RD Gateway, RD Licensing. Most important is RemoteFX is describe as well.

It's a good poster to understand more better on RDS Component Architecture.

Get it from this link :- http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=200520 while stock available. :)