In this video I go over the benefits of using Azure Proximity Placement Groups and Accelerated networking with Azure IaaS VM’s. I start by explaining what Proximity Placement Groups are and how they work, then go over the basics of Accelerated Networking. After that, I deploy a Proximity Placement Group and accelerated networking and compare results with and without the features enabled.
Continue reading “Proximity Placement Groups and Accelerated Networking”
This video shows how I created a VPN connection between my home lab and Azure Subscription. I used a Routing and Remote Access role on a Windows Server 2019 as the local endpoint. This provides the ability to setup a VPN connection without special firewall hardware. This is useful for home labs and small offices that need connectivity to an Azure subscription. It also is helpful to walk through the setup to prepare for Azure certifications such as the AZ-103.
Continue reading “Site-to-Site Azure VPN with a Windows RRAS Server”
Azure Spot Virtual Machines are an IaaS server option offered at a deep discount compared to pay-as-you-go and Reserved Instance pricing. This video walks through deploying the new Azure Spot VM’s with the Azure Portal. The video also gives an overview of what Azure Spot VM instances are and some considerations to using them.
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One value proposition of any cloud service is consumption-based pricing, only paying for services when used. Consumption-based pricing is an advantage of Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD), Microsoft Azure-hosted remote desktop service. Or at least it would be if there was an easy way to start and stop session hosts based on demand.
Continue reading “Automatically Start and Stop WVD VM’s with Azure Automation”
In this video, I go over the two options for WVD Load Balancing, Depth-First and Breadth-First. I also demonstrate how each distributes new connections and how to change Load Balancing options and set the maximum number of connections per session host.
Continue reading “Azure Windows Virtual Desktop Load Balancing”In this video, I go over how to create application groups in Windows Virtual Desktop. Once created, I add start menu applications to the application group. After that, I publish the applications to users by adding them to the Application Group. I also demonstrate a script that will add users to a WVD Application Group based on a Windows AD Application Group.
Continue reading “Create Application Groups, Publish Applications and Set Access in WVD”
In my first post, I made the bold statement that I would leave Branch and Fork out of this series because as a Sysadmin and loan scripter, I simply don’t need that functionality. However, I didn’t feel that this would be a complete series on Git if I didn’t spend some time on Git Branch and Fork. At a minimum, it is helpful to understand what it is and how it works.
Continue reading “Git for the Lone Scripter – Fork, Branch & Merge”One unfortunate aspect of working with Windows Virtual Desktop is the inability to assign users to an Application Group based on group management. Microsoft has heard this complaint and an upcoming version of WVD portal management will include App Group access based on group membership. Until that is available, I created a script that should help.
Continue reading “Update an WVD Application Group Based on a Windows AD Security Group”