AVD for Azure Local: Host pools and session hosts

Nerdio Manager allows you to manage host pools and session hosts with AVD for Azure Local.

Create a host pool with AVD for Azure Local

The following procedure allows you to create a new AVD for Azure Local host pool.

To create a new hybrid host pool:

1. Navigate to Workspaces.

2. Select the workspace you wish to work with.

3. Select from the following:

   • Classic UI: Select Hybrid host pools, and then select Add Azure Local host pool.

   • New UI: Select the Hybrid Host Pools tab, and then select + New Host Pool.

4. Enter the following information:

   • Name: Enter the name of the Azure Local host pool.

   • Description: Enter a description for the Azure Local host pool.

   • Resource Group: From the drop-down list, select the resource group for this Azure Local host pool.

   • Host Pool Type: Select either Static or Dynamic.

   • Desktop Experience: From the drop-down list, select the desktop experience.

     Note:

     • AVD multi-session desktop (pooled): This is the full desktop experience. Users are not assigned to individual session hosts and are placed on a host based on its load. Multiple users are pooled together on a group of hosts.

     • AVD multi-session RemoteApp (pooled): This is only published applications, not a full desktop experience. Published RemoteApps are visible to users as native apps running on their local computer. The RemoteApps are provided by a collection (pool) of session hosts.

     • AVD single-session desktop (pooled): This is the full desktop experience. Users are placed on individual desktop VMs (one user per session host) and a preconfigured number of spare(available) desktops is maintained.

     • AVD single-session desktop (personal): This is a personal (persistent) full desktop experience. A dedicated session host VM is assigned to each user.

   • Directory: From the drop-down list, select the directory.

     Note: The default option will always use the global default AD configuration of the application. Using one of predefined global configurations allows you to use the selected directory, even if the default changes. To provide custom configuration for the host pool, select the custom option.

   • FSLogix: From the drop-down list, select the FSLogix configuration profile to be used when creating or re-imaging hosts in this host pool.

     Note: The FSLogix storage location should point at a local file server or use a Cloud Cache with Azure Blob Storage.

   • RDP Profile: From the drop-down list, select the profile to be applied to the host pool.

     Note: If a profile is not selected, the standard settings will be applied.

     

   • Initial Host Count: Type the number of session hosts to add to the host pool.

   • Name: Enter a name for the newly added host or, from the drop-down list, select whether to use an Exact name, a Prefix, or a Pattern.

   Note:

   • Exact applies when adding a single host and specifying an exact name. For example, MYADVHOST.

   • Prefix can be used when creating multiple session hosts. The Prefix limit is 10 valid, Windows computer name characters. When using a Prefix, a unique suffix is automatically appended in the format "-xxxx", where xxxx are 4 random alphanumeric characters. For example: AVDHOST-s72h. Do not add a "-" to the Prefix.

   • Pattern can be used to specify an advanced naming convention for new hosts. Pattern characters must be enclosed in {} and can be # (for sequential numbers) and/or ? (for random alphanumeric characters). One # implies numbers from 0 to 9, two #s implies numbers of 0 to 99, etc.

     • Example 1: AVDHOST{###} (AVDHOST000..AVDHOST999).

     • Example 2: AVDHOST-{???} (AVDHOST-d83, AVDHOST-7sl, etc.).

   • Network: From the drop-down list, select the network that the VMs are to be connected to.

   • Desktop Image: From the drop-down list, select the desktop image to be used as the golden image for newly created session hosts.

   • vCPUs: Type the number of cores.

   • RAM (GB): Type the amount of RAM in GB.

   • RAM Type: Select Static or Dynamic.

   • Resource Group: From the drop-down list, select the resource group that contains the VMs.

   • Quick Assign: From the drop-down list, select the users or groups to pre-assign to newly created desktops.

     

   • Apply tags: Optionally, type the Name and Value of the Azure tag to apply to the session host.

   • Note: You may specify multiple tags. See this Microsoft article for details about using tags to organize your Azure resources.

   • App group settings: Optionally, type the App group name of the host pool.

   • Application policies: Optionally, select the application policies to assign to the host pool.

   • Validation environment: Optionally, select to enable validation.

     

     Note: Validation host pools receive service updates at a faster cadence than non-validation host pools, allowing you to test service changes before they are deployed broadly to production.

5. Once you have entered all the desired information, select OK.

The task to add the session host to the host pool begins. This may take some time to complete. You can see the task's progress in the Host Pool Tasks window.

Add a new session host to a hybrid host pool

Once a hybrid host pool is created, you can manually add session hosts.

To add a session host to a hybrid host pool:

1. Navigate to Workspaces.

2. Select the workspace you wish to work with.

3. Select from the following:

   • Classic UI: Select Hybrid host pools, and then, from the action menu, select Manage Hosts. Select Add session host.

   • New UI: Select the Hybrid Host Pools tab, and then, from the more actions menu, select Manage > Hosts. Select + New Host.

4. Enter the following information:

• Host Count: Enter the number of session hosts to add to the host pool.

• Host Name: Enter a name for the newly added host or, from the drop-down list, select whether to use an Exact name, a Prefix, or a Pattern.

  Note:

  • Exact applies when adding a single host and specifying an exact name. For example, MYADVHOST.

  • Prefix can be used when creating multiple session hosts. The Prefix limit is 10 valid, Windows computer name characters. When using a Prefix, a unique suffix is automatically appended in the format "-xxxx", where xxxx are 4 random alphanumeric characters. For example: AVDHOST-s72h. Do not add a "-" to the Prefix.

  • Pattern can be used to specify an advanced naming convention for new hosts. Pattern characters must be enclosed in {} and can be # (for sequential numbers) and/or ? (for random alphanumeric characters). One # implies numbers from 0 to 9, two #s implies numbers of 0 to 99, etc.

    • Example 1: AVDHOST{###} (AVDHOST000..AVDHOST999).

    • Example 2: AVDHOST-{???} (AVDHOST-d83, AVDHOST-7sl, etc.).

• Network: From the drop-down list, select the network that the VMs are to be connected to.

• Desktop Image: From the drop-down list, select the desktop image to be used as the golden image for newly created session hosts.

• vCPUs: Enter the number of cores.

• RAM (GB): Enter the amount of RAM in GB.

• RAM Type: Select Static or Dynamic.

• Resource Group: From the drop-down list, select the resource group that contains the VMs.

• Assign Users: From the drop-down list, select users to pre-assign to newly created desktops. The number of users specified cannot exceed the number of hosts being added.

• Apply tags: Optionally, from the drop-down list, select a tag group.

  Note: You may specify multiple tags. See this Microsoft article for details about using tags to organize your Azure resources.

5. Once you have entered all the desired information, select OK.

   

The task to add the session host to the host pool begins. This may take some time to complete. You can see the task's progress in the Host Pool Tasks window.

Perform bulk actions on selected session hosts

Nerdio Manager allows you to perform bulk actions on selected session hosts. For example, you can power on, power off, delete, etc. multiple session hosts.

To perform a bulk action on selected session hosts:

1. Locate the hybrid host pool you wish to work with.

2. Select the host pool's Name to view all the session hosts in the host pool.

3. In the list of session hosts, select the one(s) you want to perform the actions on.

4. Once you have selected all the desired session hosts, select Select bulk action, and then select the actions you want execute against the selected session hosts.

   Note: For example, you have 5 session hosts in the host pool, with 3 powered on and 2 powered off. The action menu displays (this is a partial list of relevant actions):

   • Power off selected (3)

   • Power on selected (2)

   • Restart selected (3)

   That is, only the 3 session hosts that are powered on can be powered off or restarted. Only the 2 session hosts that are powered off can be powered on.