Virtualizing Desktops and Apps with Windows Server 2012 R2 Inside Out

Conquer Windows Server 2012 R2 virtualization--from the inside out!

Dive into Windows Server 2012 R2 virtualization--and really put your systems expertise to work. Focusing on both virtual desktop infrastructure and virtualized applications, this supremely organized reference packs hundreds of timesaving solutions, tips, and workarounds. Discover how the experts tackle Windows virtualization--and challenge yourself to new levels of mastery.

• Use virtualization to prevent business disruption, help improve security, simplify upgrades, and support mobile users
• Plan and deploy User State Virtualization for a consistent experience across locations and devices
• Define users, applications, and scenarios for any virtualization project
• Compare and deploy both session-based and virtual machine-based (VM-based) desktops
• Configure Client Hyper-V and work with VMs in a Client Hyper-V environment
• Install, design, configure, and administer Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) infrastructure and clients
• Sequence applications for efficient and reliable deployment
• Help secure remote access to virtual desktops with Remote Desktop Gateway (RD Gateway)
• Plan and implement pooled and personal desktops
• Monitor virtualized apps and desktops for health and performance

Online Sample Chapters

Planning and Deploying Session-based Virtual Desktops

Virtualizing Desktops and Apps with Windows Server 2012 R2 Inside Out: Planning and Implementing App-V

Sample Pages

Download the sample content

Table of Contents

Chapter 1     Desktop and application virtualization     1
Overview of virtualization technologies     1
User state virtualization     3
Application virtualization     4
Desktop Virtualization     6
Storage virtualization     11
Usage scenarios for desktop virtualization     12
Meeting legal and security requirements     13
Supporting desktop management tasks     14
Improving application compatibility      15
Implementing desktop as a service          16
Supporting the mobile user experience     16
Considerations for implementing virtualization     17
User experience     17
Network connectivity     18
Infrastructure          20
Licensing requirements     22
Challenges for implementing desktop and application virtualization     24
Identify virtualization technologies for business needs     25
Improve roaming experience for users     26
Improve performance of apps for mobile users     26
Provide remote access to apps and data          27
Update apps efficiently     28
Provide unique apps and improve security     28
Chapter 2     Planning and implementing user state virtualization     31
Understanding user state and user profiles     31
User profile creation     32
User profile content     34
Understanding and planning user state virtualization     35
Assess user data requirements     38
Assess user settings requirements     39
Evaluate compatibility considerations     40
Evaluate infrastructure and manageability requirements     40
Evaluate usage scenario considerations     41
Configuring user state virtualization technologies     44
Configuring roaming user profiles     44
Mandatory user profiles     52
Configuring Folder Redirection     53
Configuring Offline Files     59
Using the Primary Computer setting     66
Enabling user profile disks     70
Configuring User Experience Virtualization     70
UE-V architecture     72
Comparing user state virtualization options     75
Preparing to deploy UE-V     77
Deploying the UE-V agent     78
Managing the UE-V agent     81
Managing default settings location templates     84
Creating and managing custom settings location templates     87
Chapter 3     Configuring Client Hyper-V     95
Understanding Hyper-V     95
Client Hyper-V architecture     97
Installing Client Hyper-V     100
Hyper-V management tools     104
Managing virtual switches     108
Creating virtual machines     112
Virtual machine settings          121
Generation 2 virtual machines     124
Controlling virtual machines     125
Managing virtual machine files     130
Processing     135
Dynamic memory     137
Integration services     138
Managing virtual hard disks     141
Virtual hard disk formats     141
Fixed and dynamically expanding disks     143
Differencing disks     145
Creating virtual hard disks     147
Editing virtual hard disks     148
Storage Quality of Service     150
Managing checkpoints     151
How checkpoints are created     152
Using checkpoints     153
Considerations for using checkpoints     155
Chapter 4     Planning and implementing App-V     157
Overview of App-V     157
Benefits of App-V     157
Differences between standard and virtualized applications     159
Placing and functionality of the virtualization engine     160
Application virtualization infrastructure     161
App-V application life cycle     161
App-V technologies     177
App-V deployment models     184
Planning App-V infrastructure     187
App-V infrastructure requirements     187
App-V deployment possibilities     189
Service disruption impact     193
Functional and physical placement     194
Sizing and performance     195
High availability for App-V     197
Disaster recovery     199
Deploying App-V infrastructure     200
App-V infrastructure requirements     201
Installing management databases     201
App-V Management Server configuration     204
App-V publishing server deployment and configuration     208
App-V for Remote Desktop Services client     210
Integrating App-V with System Center Configuration Manager     211
Chapter 5     Planning and deploying App-V clients     213
Overview of App-V client configuration     213
App-V desktop client     213
How the App-V client accesses applications     215
Storage locations for App-V client data     216
Planning for App-V 5.0 shared content store     220
Methods for deploying the App-V client     224
App-V client for Remote Desktop     227
Installing and configuring the App-V client     227
Prerequisites for App-V client installation     228
Installing the client by using Configuration Manager     230
Installing the App-V for Remote Desktop Services client     247
Configuring the App-V client for stand-alone mode     250
App-V and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solution     252
App-V 5.0 and third-party production integration     252
Benefits of App-V and VDI integration     253
Building images with App-V     254
Managing App-V client properties     259
Managing virtual applications     264
Managing file type associations     265
Managing server connections     266
Using Windows PowerShell to configure the App-V client     267
Using Group Policy to manage the App-V client     270
Autoload     273
Registry settings for the App-V client     273
Chapter 6     Managing and administering Application Virtualization     277
Using the Application Virtualization Management Console     277
Managing App-V administrators     281
Registering and unregistering servers     282
Managing application packages     284
Connection groups          287
Managing management servers by using Windows PowerShell     289
Modifying and upgrading published applications     297
Update an application     297
Copy access and configuration     303
Update a connection group     304
Remove applications     305
Edit the default configuration for a package     306
Exporting the configuration     307
Assignment of applications     308
Naming conventions     309
Enabling scripting for dynamic configuration          310
App-V reporting     312
How App-V reporting works     312
Data collected by App-V reporting     314
App-V client configuration for reporting     315
Generating App-V reports     317
Chapter 7     Application sequencing     319
Overview of application sequencing     319
App-V Sequencer     319
The sequencing process     321
Items to document in a recipe     322
Portions of a sequenced application     324
Planning for application sequencing     326
Sequencer configuration     326
Best practices for application installation     330
Best practices for package configuration     331
Applications that cannot be sequenced     332
Sequencing an application     333
Types of applications that can be sequenced     333
Preparing for sequencing          335
Sequencing tasks     337
Customizing the package     344
Package editor     345
Windows PowerShell     351
Deploying Office 2013 by using App-V     351
Advanced application sequencing     357
Package accelerators     357
Creating a package accelerator     358
Options for updating packages     378
Sequencing for connection groups          380
Dynamic configuration and targeted scripting     381
Chapter 8     Planning and deploying session-based virtual desktops     387
Understanding RDS     387
Comparing RDS and the Remote Desktop feature     389
RDS architecture     390
Connecting to virtual desktops and RemoteApp programs     392
RDS functionality that enhances the client experience     395
RemoteFX     397
Remote Desktop Connection configuration options     399
RDS licensing     401
Planning infrastructure for session-based desktops          403
Assessing RDS infrastructure requirements     403
Planning for the RD Session Host role service     406
Planning for the RD Connection Broker role service     408
Planning for the RD Web Access role service     410
Planning for preserving user state     411
Deploying session-based virtual desktops     415
Understanding the session-based desktop deployment process     415
Understanding session collections     422
Configuring session collections     426
Configuring RD Licensing servers     434
Understanding high availability for RDS     438
Understanding load balancing     439
High availability for RD Session Host servers     441
High availability for the RD Connection Broker role service     443
High availability for the RD Web Access role service     447
High availability for the RD Licensing role service     447
Chapter 9     Configuring RemoteApp programs and client connectivity     451
Publishing and configuring RemoteApp programs     451
Understanding RemoteApp programs     453
Installing applications on RD Session Host servers     454
Publishing RemoteApp programs     457
Configuring RemoteApp programs     458
Configuring and managing client connections to RDS     461
Configuring RemoteApp and Desktop Connections     462
Customizing RD Web Access     466
Understanding device redirection     467
Understanding printer redirection     469
Managing connections     470
Configuring certificates and single sign-on     472
Understanding RDS certificates     473
Requesting and configuring RDS certificates     475
Understanding single sign-on     478
Chapter 10     Planning and implementing pooled and personal virtual desktops     481
Understanding pooled and personal virtual desktops     481
Using pooled virtual desktops     483
Using personal virtual desktops     484
Comparing virtual desktop options     484
High availability for pooled virtual desktops     485
High availability for personal virtual desktops     486
Planning and creating virtual desktop templates     489
Selecting an operating system     490
Activating the operating system     491
Updating applications and the operating system      494
Eliminating the system partition     495
Optimizing operating system configuration     497
Optimizing App-V     500
Optimizing antivirus software     500
Using Sysprep to prepare a virtual desktop template     501
Planning storage for pooled and personal virtual desktops     503
Using local storage for pooled and personal virtual desktops     503
Using a SAN for pooled and personal virtual desktops     505
Using scale-out file servers for pooled and personal virtual desktops     506
Using additional Windows Server 2012 R2 storage technologies     508
Capacity planning for pooled and personal virtual desktops     511
Capacity planning for storage     512
Capacity planning for memory     513
Capacity planning for networking     514
Capacity planning for processing     515
Capacity planning example     517
Implementing pooled and personal virtual desktops     518
Deploying RD Virtualization Host servers     519
Understanding user profile disks for VM-based virtual desktops     523
Creating a virtual desktop collection     524
Updating pooled virtual desktops     533
Implementing RemoteApp for Hyper-V     535
Chapter 11     Implementing Remote Access for VDI     541
Extending VDI outside the organization     541
Why remote access is important for VDI     541
Methods for securing remote access to VDI     542
Network configuration for RD Gateway     543
Configuration options for RD Gateway     548
Controlling RD Gateway access     557
Overview of controlling RD Gateway access     557
RD CAPs          557
RD RAPs          559
Central RD CAP store     560
Integrating Microsoft Azure Multi-Factor Authentication     561
Chapter 12     Performance and Health Monitoring of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure     565
Monitoring desktop and application virtualization     565
Understanding monitoring for desktop and application virtualization     565
Event monitoring for desktop and application virtualization     566
Performance monitoring tools for desktop and application virtualization     569
Using Process Monitor to identify application issues     571
Using Operations Manager for monitoring     572
Parts of an Operations Manager implementation     573
Understanding management packs and overrides     579
Management packs for monitoring application and desktop virtualization     581
Installing management packs     583
Monitoring desktop virtualization infrastructure     585
Understanding resource bottlenecks     585
Considerations for monitoring desktop virtualization     586
Monitoring RD Session Host server performance     587
Optimizing RD Session Host server performance     588

Features

• Helps the IT admin choose the right types of users, applications, and scenarios for successful projects.
• Supports the IT admin whose organization wants to provide users with a consistent experience that  works across locations and devices while avoiding business disruptions and securing confidential corporate data.
• Offers guidance relevant to mid-sized and large organizations, key adopters of virtualization.
• Includes real world observations and tips from an author who is an expert consultant in relevant technologies.

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