RDS in 2016

[CAWJames]

Hi all,

 

Don't suppose anyone has tried the new RDS in 2016 yet in a VDI scenario or RDSH? Any good? Much faster or meh?

 

Thanks

 

James

[silvestre]

I have tested the RemoteApp and its fast. May just be my new servers!. Sadly still no HTML5 version of RemoteAPP..

 

Also it displays Windows Server 2012R2 on the RDweb page not that it matters.

[datar_]

it displays Windows Server 2012R2 on the RDweb

 

Whoops, looks like we might need to jump onto the feedback hub

[FN-GM]

Sadly still no HTML5 version of RemoteAPP..

 

This would have been a key selling point. Common MS!

[CAWJames]

My new setup is showing 2016 at the bottom right in RDWeb Just customizing it now for UPN/email address login and bing wallpaper background

[datar_]

My new setup is showing 2016 at the bottom right in RDWeb Just customizing it now for UPN/email address login and bing wallpaper background

 

Reckon they fixed it in a Zero-Day update?

 

This might be why there isn't a normal ISO out yet ^_^

[CAWJames]

Just spun up a quick 2 server 2016 RDS system with Windows 10 LTSB VM's, and it is much faster, quick load times of the VM, Youtube actually runs "smoothly" in a chrome window. And this is only running on a 2012R2 Hyper-V cluster on a traditional disk SAN, not dedicated hardware. Can't wait to get a server filled with SSD and running 2016 server for Hyper-V. Going to be Epic

[Tefters]

Just stood up 3 2016 RDSH servers on my 2012 R2 RDS farm and all look good. Setup a test group for connection through RDWEB and then it went downhill... Connection error on the Remote Desktop connection part after the RDS logon.

Check my DC running RDS Licensing and the service was stopped, started it and tried again, same error, check the RDS licensing service again on DC and it was stopped. Hmmm bug I thought... Started service and looked at the licensing...

*drumroll*

Its 2012 R2 DC with RDS Licensing Manager installed... d*ckhead...

Now in the middle of standing up a server 2016 DC lol

Damn you Microsoft and not allowing to add newer RDS licenses to an older RDS Licensing Server!

Edited October 13, 2016 by Tefters

[Tefters]

So took a little longer than i wanted... 3 days to get the image perfect and then a day to deploy the VM's, stand up a new DC, migrate to new 2016 RDS license server and configure new sessions but finally have a RDS setup to match the normal PC's!

 

[JackT]

So took a little longer than i wanted... 3 days to get the image perfect and then a day to deploy the VM's, stand up a new DC, migrate to new 2016 RDS license server and configure new sessions but finally have a RDS setup to match the normal PC's!

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]39239[/ATTACH]

 

 

On a side note, how did u get the downloads and other icons on the start panel?

[Tefters]

On a side note, how did u get the downloads and other icons on the start panel?

 

On the anniversary edition you can right click the task bar and customize from there or it can be found in the new immersive control panel. Anyways in short it lets you customize the start menu for what buttons to show and not show, i simply removed settings and added the usual docs, pics etc...

[mdrabble]

@Tefters don't suppose you documented how you did your setup :-)

[Tefters]

@Tefters don't suppose you documented how you did your setup :-)

 

Documented no but can quite easily type it out in about 10 minutes

 

Depends on what you want to know, how i setup the RDS infrastructure or just how I did the RDS image?

[mdrabble]

More to do with the RDS Image :-)

 

Not really play with RDS with VM images

[Tefters]

Are you using SCCM for deployment?

[mdrabble]

Yea - currently testing Win10 Deployments

[Tefters]

Ok well for a rough guide I did as follows:-

 

- Grab the Server 2016 ISO and install it to a VM

- Do not enter owner/user details once rebooted and at the OOBE, use Ctrl + Shift + F3 to enter straight into Audit mode

- First thing to do at this point is Windows update til you have all the updates, reboot, try again etc... til none left

- Install any bulky apps that take a long time to install over an SCCM deployment, in my case Office 2016 and Adobe CC 2015 Suite (bulked my WIM up at the end to 22gb)

- There are no immersive apps in 2016 (thank god!) but unfortunately leaves a little dillema when opening photos due to MS paint, so i ended up adding PhotoViewer back into the build - https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=add%20photo%20viewer%20to%20windows%2010

- Sticky notes is also missing as that went immersive - How to Install Sticky Notes to Windows Server 2012 - TechFlute

- You will want to install Dot Net 3.5 from the features menu too as you need to specify the SXS folder source when doing so from the install media just to get it out the way as there will be at least 1 app that needs it

- I also set the Windows Audio service to Auto-Start and Enable it to ensure audio is passed through

- Customize the Start Menu button on the side through the immersive control panel option (you will need to activate the image by MAK in order to do this)

- Delete the contents of C:\Windows\Logs before sysprepping (this stop a first domain logon issue later)

- Customize stuff like IE bookmarks and homepage (although this doesnt matter too much as you probably do it via GP anyways)

- Customize the Explorer windows whether it be to set the view to list or add checkboxes next to files, I also remove the Network option in the explorer windows on the left hand side via How to remove Network icon from Windows 10 File Explorer

- You will want to create an answer file to run with sysprep which will copy the default profile you have been customizing (I can send you a copy of mine as its very generic)

- Before running sysprep you will want to create a batch file and put it in %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup, this is to stop the recetn locations on new profiles showing the SYSPREP location, the contents of the batch file should read:-

echo Y | del %appdata%\microsoft\windows\recent\automaticdestinations\*

del %0

- Run sysprep command line (not the GUI) specifying to reboot into OOBE and use the answer file

- Once rebooted and back on the OOBE screen use Ctrl + Shift + F3 again to boot into audit mode

- Now that the default profile is fully set and everything is good to go I setup the batch file once more for good measure and then also delete the contents of c:\Windows\Logs

- Finally I mount an ISO image of the SCCM capture image and then run that capturing the WIM to a network share ready for deployment

- Once captured run through a normal SCCM task sequence adding all your APP's as usual, KMS client key, unattend XML and any other stuff you do in your task sequence

Edited October 17, 2016 by Tefters

[CAWJames]

I used this Deploying Windows 10 Virtual Desktop Infrastructure on Windows Server 2016 (Technical Preview) as a basis for installing, got StartSSL to issue me a cert, and away

[CAWJames]

Tefters, are you doing a session based setup or VM based? Any reason why you aren't using Windows 10 if the latter? Edited October 17, 2016 by CAWJames

[Tefters]

Tefters, are you doing a session based setup or VM based? Any reason why you aren't using Windows 10 if the latter?

 

Session, VDI setup is far too costly.

 

I use the RDS setup for home use (staff and students) as well as 100 thin clients internally all run off a session host server 2016 desktops.

[CAWJames]

Which part of the VDI setup do you find costly out of interest, we are weighing up our options at the moment. Thanks James

[Tefters]

The cost of resources per user/desktop.

 

VDI is simply presenting a remote PC to the end user for use which you have to meet a basic set of system specs for the actual VM then the user on a 1 to 1 scale.

 

Session Host is simply remote desktop (the exact same you use for remoting into servers as as admin) so you are presenting a desktop to the end user the same as above however its on a 1 to many scale. I usually have 25 user cap limit on each of my session host in my environment and I have 3 to 4 sessions hosts (as VM's) per server.

[CAWJames]

Fair enough I agree big cost to purchase mind-wobbling servers to run all the VM's against just session based servers serving multiple desktops.

 

We are thinking of running all our desktops on VM based, and use our old physical computers as thin clients, so full VDI.

 

I was hoping you weren't going to stick a spanner in my wheels with an unknown cost I hadn't thought about!!

 

Thanks

 

James

[Tefters]

The only cost is the huge servers/farm due to resources and dedicated GPU's if doing any intensive graphical work.

 

Have you scoped your users needs in terms of applications and number of heads? You could go for a half/half hybrid.

 

EDIT - I haven't played around with VDI since 2008 R2 and Citrix Desktop however I can't see it having changed that much other than Microsoft's version being a lot better now therefore being comparable with Citrix to a certain degree.

Edited October 17, 2016 by Tefters

[CAWJames]

The master plan is to give VM's to the staff and session based to the students.

 

Our only sticking point is Skype for Business, so we are going to start testing soon with the VDI plugin, but we might find its a no go without Grid cards and servers that can run small countries!