Single Image Management for Virtual Desktop Collections in Windows Server 2012

re: Single Image Management for Virtual Desktop Collections in Windows Server 2012

AJAY KUMAR [MSFT] — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 00:10:58 GMT

@VDI 2012:

Regarding the activation, Windows Server 2012 VDI only support KMS activation method. You have to activate the master\template VM with the Windows version specific KMS Key and make sure that your KMS Server is auto discoverable.

The snapshot on the automatically created pooled collection VM is taken before KMS activation is initiated from the guest OS. So the KMS activation would take place only after user logs on. And if rollback is enabled, the pooled VM will rollback to clean state and may perform the windows activation again when any user logs on to the VM again.

If rollback is not enabled on the collection then no snapshot is taken and the VM will activate only once. In this case it will only require activation again when the pooled collection VM is recreated with a patched master\template VM.

There is no way to change the user profile disk size after pool creation and there are no alerts shown (to user or Admin). The user profile VHDs are "dynamic" VHDs which grows in size as user data grows. So an admin could set the user profile VHD size to sufficiently large value during collection creation.

Only way to increase the user profile VHD size after collection creation is by using hyper-V manager console->edit disk option or by running a hyper-V WMI script which edits the disk to increase the maximum size of the user profile VHD.

Yes Windows Server 2012 VDI does supports 64 bit versions of Win7 SP1 and Win8.

re: Single Image Management for Virtual Desktop Collections in Windows Server 2012

AJAY KUMAR [MSFT] — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 23:57:32 GMT

@ Prasanta Kumar Panda:

For Win8, you could sysprep the master\template VM any number of time; the rearm limit of 3 has been removed.

For Win7, you could workaround the max rearm limit in two ways:

1. As I have explained in the blog above ( #4 under "Master (Gold) VM in Managed Virtual Desktop Collections"), Take a snapshot on the master\template VM AFTER you are done installing patches\updates\applications and just BEFORE you are about to run sysprep. First take the snapshot and then run sysprep and then use the master VM to create\patch the virtual desktop collection. After the create\patch collection operation is complete, you could apply the snapshot on the master\template VM to revert it to the state it was in before the sysprep was executed and delete the snapshot. This last step will reset the rearm count to initial value in the master VM.

2. Run sysprep command with an unattend file which will cause rearm count not to increase.

a. Configure skip rearm unattend setting as per: technet.microsoft.com/.../cc722350(v=ws.10).aspx

b. Place the unattend file (e.g. see one attached from Rajesh) into some location c:\unattend.xml

c. Run sysprep.exe /generalize /shutdown /oobe /mode:vm /unattend:C:\unattend.xml

d. Then when you boot up this image again and it goes through specialize, it’s not going to use the rearm setting.

re: Single Image Management for Virtual Desktop Collections in Windows Server 2012

Prasanta Kumar Panda — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:16:53 GMT

how about sysprep requirement everytime, after 3 rearm it does not allow to sysprep

re: Single Image Management for Virtual Desktop Collections in Windows Server 2012

VDI 2012 — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 00:26:02 GMT

Hi Ajay,

5. On the user profile disk, noticed that the quota size cannot be modified(grey out) after the collection was created. Any way to change it? What will happen if the user hits the quota limit of user profile disk? Any alerts or warning notified user when hit the quota limit?

6. Does the VDI desktop support 64 bits of Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8?

Thanks.

re: Single Image Management for Virtual Desktop Collections in Windows Server 2012

VDI 2012 — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 00:19:13 GMT

Hi Ajay,

We are deploying VDI 2012 managed pooled for Windows 7/8.

1. Do we need to activate the master gold template if we plan to use MAK key for virtual desktop? Which mean enter Windows activation key prior sysprep.

2. Do we need to activate the master gold template if we plan to use KMS key for virtual desktop? Which mean enter Windows activation key prior sysprep.

3. Refer to question #1, if we activate the Windows with MAK and sysprep in the master gold template. Does the pooled virtual desktop do need to perform Windows activation whenever user login since the pooled virtual desktop will roll back to initial clean stage?

4. Refer to question #2, if we activate the Windows with KMS and sysprep in the master gold tempalte. Does the pooled virtual desktop do need to perform Windows activation whenever user login since the pooled virtual desktop will roll back to initial clean stage?

Thanks.

re: Single Image Management for Virtual Desktop Collections in Windows Server 2012

Stephen Dunfee — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 22:21:35 GMT

Ajay,

I am having a problem with using Server 2012 Remote Desktop Services with Windows 8 Remote Desktops. It is an issue with the Windows Store not transfering between Virtual Desktops. I don't know if you can help or maybe direct me to another team at Microsoft.

social.technet.microsoft.com/.../62599bb0-b0de-4b0a-89d6-f1d05c46bbd9

Thanks,

Stephen Dunfee

re: Single Image Management for Virtual Desktop Collections in Windows Server 2012

Saadallah Chebaro — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:30:30 GMT

Great Article , Straight to the point .

Thanks :) .

re: Single Image Management for Virtual Desktop Collections in Windows Server 2012

Prateek Sharma — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 22:01:05 GMT

great work beautifully documented.

was a great help.

Thanks :)