Deployment of Azure Virtual Desktop

The aim of this post is to quickly deploy an Azure-Joined AVD solution in 10 minutes as a POT.

This post will deploy the following components:

Step 1 – Virtual Network
Step 2 – Log Analytics Workspace
Step 3 – Create a host pool
Step 4 – Add Virtual Machines (Hosts)
Step 5 – Create a Workspace
Step 6 – Add users to the Desktop Application Group
Step 7 – Azure AD-joined session hosts
Step 8 – Azure Active Directory
Step 9 – Verify access to desktop
Step 10 – Enable VM Insights

Pre-requisites:

Make sure that you have a virtual network in the same region as where you plan to deploy your virtual pool resources.

Identify a pre-created target Log Analytics workspace that you would like to send the AVD diagnostic settings to.

Identify a storage account that you would like to send the AVD boot diagnostics to. You may use a pre-created storage account or one will be created during deployment.

Deployment Steps:

Step 1 - Virtual Network

Identify your destination virtual network that must be in the same region as your host pool.

Step 2 - Log Analytics Workspace 

Identify your target log analytics workspace for your AVD deployment.

Step 3 - Create your AVD host pool

Open Azure portal > Azure Virtual Desktop > Create a host pool >

Basics tab:

Select your unique host pool name

Select your location that will offer the lowest end user latency since AVD is not available in all regions.

Validation enviroment is very important. Always select Yes. (Im selecting No for my sandbox testing).

Read here to understand the validation option and its importance.

My foundational app group type will be Desktop. I will add remote apps later.

Select your host pool type based on additional information here.

Step 4 - Add Virtual Machines (Hosts)

Virtual Machine Tab:

Add Azure virtual machines

Select a unique AVD host pool name prefix

Select where your virtual machines are going to be deployed (may be in different region)

Select your availability options and number of zones

Security type and select the Image type.

Select your vm size > the number of vms to add to your host pool > and the OS disk types of your vms > boot diagnostics should be sent to a custom storage account in your production enviroment.

Network and Security:

Select the destination vnet and subnet (based on the region you selected above).

Select the NSG and if public ports are required.

Select how you want to domain join your vms and whether you want to enroll the vms via Intune.

Add the local vm administrator credentials.

Step 5 - Create a Workspace

Workspace Tab:

For Register desktop app group > Yes >

For To this workspace > Create new > Enter a name for the workspace > OK

Advanced Tab:

Configuring Diagnostic Settings is always a good idea for monitoring and auditing. Choose your destination end point.

Tags tab:

It is good cloud governance to always add tags to your new deployments until you have tagging policies in place.

Create

Step 6  - Adding non Microsoft Entra users to the Desktop Application Group


A default app group is created for a new Azure Virtual Desktop host pool also publishes the full desktop. You also have the option to create one or more RemoteApp application groups for the host pool.

If you wish to add non Microsoft Entra ID users to your Desktop Application Group:

Go to Azure Virtual Desktop > Host Pools > Application groups > select your desktop application group >

IAM > Add > Add role assignment > Add the following:
Role = Desktop Virtualization User and add your required non-admin user > Assign

Step 7 - Adding Microsoft Entra users to the Desktop Application Group


If you are going to connect to session hosts joined to Azure Active Directory, you must assign your AVD user accounts either roles on the resource group containing the virtual machine hosts:

Virtual Machine User Login or

Virtual Machine Administrator Login

Microsoft recommends you assign the Virtual Machine User Login RBAC role on the resource group containing your session hosts to the same user group as you assign to the application group.

If you plan to connect Azure AD clients to the AVD Hosts and both the clients and hosts reside on the same Azure Active Directy then go to:

Portal > Azure Virtual Desktop > Host Pools > RDP Properties > Advanced > add the following entry on the end:

;targetisaadjoined:i:1

> Save

Step 9 - Verify access to desktop

9.1 Web Access

Go to the Azure Virtual Desktop web client addresss here
Sign in using the user credentials you assigned to the desktop application group.
You should see a virtual desktop.

You may also test signing into your local vm using your local admin account created earlier when provisioning your vm.

9.2 Microsoft Remote Desktop

You may download the AVD Virtual Desktop and login using the URL https://rdweb.wvd.microsoft.com > Next

Use the same account added to the Application Group.

Step 10 - Enable VM insights

Enable Diagnostic settings on your Host pool to send logs to a Log Anlaytics Workspace.

Now go to Insights and verify whether you can view the status of your AVD Hosts. You may need to click on Workbook to configure your AVD Hosts.

On the Workbook screen, verify that you can see the Host virtual machines and the sessions.

Verify the status of your AVD Hosts.

Click on the respective AVD host to deep dive and verify the underlying vm status conditions.

— I hope this blog helped in the basic deployment of your AVD platform–

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